We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matt Lofy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Matt thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project that we’ve worked on is our Dadvocate for Change campaign that we’re currently advocating for throughout central Ohio. We wanted our podcast to do more than just podcast, we wanted to inspire real change.
This idea started during Matt’s son’s second birthday. They were at an extremely family friendly location in Columbus, but they didn’t have changing tables. During a routine diaper change, Matt found himself cold and wet in the parking lot while he changed his son in the back of his Escape during a late October rainstorm. This campaign idea was a result of that event.
Matt spoke to Shaun, co-host of The Dadass Podcast, and the two got Steve Michalovich, founder of Cbus Dads Blog involved. Together the three of us have used our podcast platform and blog for channels of dadvocating.
This cause is so meaningful to us because families come in all shapes and sizes. Easier access to changing tables helps the whole family and also teaches our kids that everyone can change diapers.
Just recently, we’ve begun partnering with members of Columbus City Council to begin the Columbus Changing Table Grant. Beginning in January 2023, small businesses who qualify will have access to free changing tables to place in their public restrooms. Working alongside four dads currently serving on Council, we will be able to create such a larger impact in our region. If you’d like to to learn more visit https://www.thedadasspodcast.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
We’ve been a podcast for nearly three years now whose mission is to figure out this whole parenting and adulting thing. We do it through addressing relevant topics to not just dads, but parents and people just trying to be the best versions of themselves. Guests have ranged from New York Times bestselling author Adrian Kulp, Emmy-award winning journalist and comedian Charlie Berens and experts like the Director of the On Our Sleeves campaign at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This has allowed the podcast to not just attract Dad listeners, but moms, uncles, aunts, those in their late 20s and folks who just want to learn about different cocktails.
The Dadass Podcast provides a casual conversation on an array of helpful topics over drinks. Our blend of humor and humility has allowed for discussions on parenting, mental health, raising culturally aware children and numerous adolescent specialists, along with local and national breweries and distilleries…including a recording with a partner of family owned Wahaka Mezcal in Mexico.
Our biggest accomplishment for the podcast is the current Dadvocate for Change campaign that has been slowly picking up steam. We were honored to be the 2021 Podcast of the Year at the Columbus Podcast Awards, along with a finalist for Podcast of the Year in 2022.
Most recently, Matt and Shaun, were closing keynote speakers at HomeDadCon put on by the National At-Home Dad Network. It was an honor to learn from so many men who stay at home to support their family. To be able to meet them and share in our success and failures as dads and partners might be one of the most rewarding things this podcast has afforded us.
Is there a mission driving your creative journey?
As mentioned earlier, The Dadass Podcast and CBUS Dads Blog are using our platforms to advocate for causes near to our hearts throughout central Ohio. Starting with our Dadvocate Campaign for changing tables to future campaigns in the works, we will use this as our community impact, social responsibility arm of our podcast and blog.
We are currently raising awareness for the need of changing stations in men’s rooms and gender-neutral bathrooms at “family friendly” locations throughout Columbus, OH while advocating for the benefits for businesses, families and all. There’s no better time to spark change than now and it begins one diaper at a time.
All major social issues come down to access and equality. A family with two Dads is hurt if only women’s bathrooms have a changing table. Children who only see their mom changing diapers in public are being taught that only women can change diapers thus perpetuating gender stereotypes.
This simple shift of having changing tables in all bathrooms breaks down so many societal “norms” and makes a huge impact that we wouldn’t necessarily think about until you see a naked baby being changed in public or families out in the parking lot. Since this campaign started, it’s hard to look at a booth at your favorite restaurant and not think about how many naked baby butts have been changed on this.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The biggest thing that has built our reputation as a podcast has been our approach. When Matt founded the podcast, he didn’t want it to just be two dudes sitting in the basement talking about nothing of substance. With Shaun coming on board, he brings his mental health background. Together, having a Dad of a young child, a mental health professional and meaningful guests, we’ve been able to have hard conversations.
Between real talk topics and light hearted ones with local distillers, a real community of men and women have grown to follow and listen regularly. Especially paving the way for a safe, comfortable platform for men to share on topics they wouldn’t necessarily talk about publicly.
As the podcast teamed up with the blog and began the Dadvocate for Change campaign it has opened a whole new audience and level of guests. Most notably, teaming up with the City Dads Groups of Columbus and Cincinnati, along with speaking at HomeDadCon with the National At-Home Dad Network, there has been real momentum in the next phase of our mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedadasspodcast.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedadasspodcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDadassPodcast
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DadassPodcast
Image Credits
Emma Parker Photography