Fathers and Sons

Episode 11 -- The Charles Ingalls Rule

Luke and Heath Bailey — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:28:59 GMT

Slapping a bear that had gotten into the cow pen, harvesting maple syrup with Grandpa, long treks through the snow to trade furs ... frontier life was never boring, as rendered by American author Laura Ingalls Wilder in Little House in the Big Woods. Luke and Heath explore Ingalls Wilder's nostalgic depiction how Pa -- Charles Ingalls -- and Ma -- Caroline -- faced the frontier together with courage and ingenuity. They discuss what families today can learn from these pioneers about parenting, embodied knowledge, and freedom.

Episode 10: Lessons on Fatherhood from Mahlon Edwards

Luke and Heath Bailey — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:15:00 GMT

Heath interviews Mahlon Edwards -- uncle and mentor -- about what he's learned over decades of being a father and grandfather. Uncle Mahlon recounts how his father and mother shaped his integrity and faith, his 70-year marriage to his sweetheart, Carole, and how prioritizing family over career led to great and lasting blessings. Don't miss this episode for a wealth of practical and inspiring wisdom on parenting and a life well lived.

Episode 9 - Look Harder - The Lion King and Hamlet

Luke and Heath Bailey — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:00:00 GMT

What happens to Shakespeare's Hamlet when you change the ending? And turn everyone into lions, meerkats, or hornbills? And give Hamlet a good dad? You get Disney's The Lion King. Join Heath and Luke as they explore what it means to teach your kids to look harder--at themselves, their doubts and their beliefs, and how to be the kind of father that can help little lions find their roar.

Episode 3 - Cars - More Than Just a Paint Job

Luke and Heath Bailey — Mon, 04 May 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Doc Hudson never meant to become a father figure— he just wanted Lightning McQueen to fix the road. Luke and Heath use the unlikely relationship at the heart of Pixar's Cars to explore what it means to receive wisdom from a mentor, why bitterness creeps in as we age, and how the unconditional admiration of the young can rekindle something an older generation thought was lost for good.

Episode 4 - King Lear - I Gave You All

Luke and Heath Bailey — Tue, 12 May 2026 13:32:00 GMT

Heath and Luke Bailey dig into Shakespeare's most emotionally brutal tragedy — King Lear — through the lens of fathers, adult children, and the messy business of letting go. From the fatal love test to the question of what children actually owe their parents, this one hits differently when you're living it.

Episode 1 - The Odyssey - How to Come Home

Luke and Heath Bailey — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Odysseus was gone for twenty years — ten fighting in Troy, ten trying to get home — and his son Telemachus grew up without him. Heath and Luke unpack what that absence costs a family, what it takes to come home well, and whether a son can ever truly know his father. It's a three-thousand-year-old story that turns out to have a lot to say about modern fatherhood.

Episode 7 - To Kill a Mockingbird - Somebody Else's Shoes

Luke and Heath Bailey — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:00:00 GMT

What makes a great father? Join Heath and Luke Bailey as they explore Atticus Finch—literature's most celebrated parent—and uncover the timeless lessons in Harper Lee's masterpiece. From moral courage to standing alone against a town's prejudice, discover how modeling integrity over lectures shapes the next generation. A thoughtful dive into parenting, justice, and what we owe each other.

Episode 8 - John, Abigail, and John Quincy Adams - Parenting for the Cause

Luke and Heath Bailey — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

For the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Heath and Luke Bailey explore the father-son bond between John Adams and John Quincy Adams — raised abroad, shaped by letters, and destined for greatness. A personal look at ambition, pressure, and legacy, just in time for the Fourth of July.

Episode 2 - Star Wars - What do you do with an Evil Dad?

Luke and Heath Bailey — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:02:00 GMT

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader aren't just iconic characters — they're a window into some of the most difficult questions fathers and sons face. Heath and Luke discuss what we owe our parents when they let us down, the transforming power of a child's forgiveness, and why, like Vader, we may not deserve the love we receive, but we get it anyway.

Episode 5 - Family in the Foreign Service

Luke and Heath Bailey — Sat, 23 May 2026 16:35:23 GMT

From weathering COVID-19 in Taiwan to exploring zeppelin hangers in Latvia, Heath, Luke, and guest-host Luke Martin explore the blessings and challenges of raising families overseas. Heath and Luke M., who have been U.S. Foreign Service colleagues for more than a decade, share their perspectives as fathers raising kids far from home, while Luke B. tells what it was like to grow up as an American kid abroad. Tight family units, reverse culture shock, a love of travel, and opportunities to serve all contribute to these rich family narratives.

Episode 6 - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Huck and Jim

Luke and Heath Bailey — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:17:00 GMT

As kids, we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as pure adventure: lazy days on the river, daring escapes, and clever tricks to stay a step ahead of authority. But re-reading it as grown-ups, we grapple with the hypocrisy of polite society, witness Huck's moral journey, and identify most closely with the slave, Jim. Join Luke and Heath as they explore what Mark Twain's classic has to teach us about manly virtues, fatherhood, and true friendship.