When was the last time you asked a good friend about where he came from, or the influences that shaped his life? On this episode, Paternal host Nick Firchau welcomes longtime friend and noted New Jersey-based DJ Shawn Francis to discuss his father’s alcohol and drug abuse, which man gave him The Talk and what it meant to him, and what it’s like to raise two African-American kids in Donald Trump’s America. "If my kids knew everything that was going through my head every day," Francis says, "there's no way they'd make it out of elementary school."

What if there was a place where men could go to commiserate about fatherhood and even learn how to be a better dad? This episode of Paternal goes inside the Center on Fathering in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to examine how the center and its founder work with men looking to manage and improve their relationships with their children. Center director Ken Sanders discusses how the classes work, and what motivated him to dedicate his career to helping men better shape their experience of fatherhood.

Raising a transgender daughter has been no easy task for Jake and his wife, Anna. The couple has spent the past five years educating themselves on how to best deal with a set of unexpected challenges that began when their second son began showing signs of her real gender identity even before she was 18 months old. Since then Jake has dealt with his own emotions and the idea that he must have done something wrong, all the while showing unflinching support and love for his daughter. "I don't think I did anything wrong," Jake says. "I just let the kid be the kid."

John Richards is one of the most recognized radio voices in Seattle, and the host of the John in the Morning show on KEXP 90.3 FM. During his lengthy career on the air, Richards has helped uncover and promote bands like Interpol, Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Of Monsters and Men and others. In the debut episode of Paternal, Richards discusses how he's navigated a complicated relationship with his estranged father, dealt with his own failed marriage and a custody battle for his son, and used those experiences to shape his own approach as a dad.