
DA431 | JOY BOMBS 💣, Nothing Is Lost, & the Interstellar Scene That Rewired a Dad (Daniel Chesnut)
From DadAwesome by Jeff Zaugg
April 23, 2026 · 50 min · Season 9 · Episode 431
About this episode
Daniel Chesnut shares how a powerful moment in the movie Interstellar transformed his approach to fatherhood and emotional connection with his children.
There's a moment in Interstellar where Matthew McConaughey sits down and watches 25 years of video messages from the kids he left behind. Daniel Chesnut drove home from that movie snot-crying, climbed into bed next to his sleeping two-year-old, and asked God a simple question: why is this wrecking me? What he heard back changed the way he has fathered for the last decade. In this conversation, Daniel shares listening prayer with your kids, why vulnerability is actually strength, how to play the long game with a 14-year-old, and the truth that's rescuing him in every transition: nothing is lost. ✅ The listening prayer practice he does with his 14-year-old son every year ✅ Why spending your 30s building a future can cost you the people you're building it for ✅ How to cultivate access to your kid's heart (hint: it's not across the couch) ✅ The truth rescuing him in every transition: nothing is lost Takeaways Ask God for a word or theme for the year, and invite your kids into the same practice. Take the pressure off of timing. When a movie, a song, or a moment wrecks you, pay attention. It's a knock on the door of your heart. Spend your 30s becoming the kind of man who can be…
People in this episode
Host: Jeff Zaugg
Guest: Daniel Chesnut
Topics covered
- fatherhood
- vulnerability
- listening prayer
- parenting
- emotional connection
- personal growth
Keywords
- fatherhood
- Interstellar
- vulnerability
- listening prayer
- parenting
- emotional connection
- personal growth
- nothing is lost
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Interstellar
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