Podcast
Hi Pod! I'm Dad.
Hosted by James Guttman · EN
Hi Pod! I’m Dad is where I talk through fatherhood while raising a son with autism who does not speak.
I’m James Guttman, the dad behind Hi Blog! I’m Dad. This podcast isn’t about tips or solutions. It is about what life actually feels like when autism is part of your home every day, and you are trying to be present for it without pretending it is easier than it is.
Some episodes are about joy and connection. Others are about exhaustion, fear, patience, and the quiet moments that never make it into awareness campaigns. Everything you hear here comes from real mornings, real mistakes, and a deep love for my kids.
There is no takeaway. Just one dad saying the things he usually keeps to himself.
36episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
They Tell Me My Baby Is An Adult Now
2w ago00:24:16Tap to summarizeMy daughter Olivia turned 18, and somewhere between scholarship nights, senior prom, and graduation, it finally hit me: my baby isn't a little girl anymore.In this episode, I look back at the journey that started long before graduation. I talk about the early days of HiBlogI'mDad, when Olivia colored the original blog logo, why surviving my quintuple bypass changed the way I looked at fatherhood, and how my relationship with my son Lucas taught me that parenting has never been about perfection. It's about connection.I also share one of the most important lessons I've ever tried to teach my children: I don't care how many awards, grades, or diplomas they earn if they aren't good people. Watching Olivia grow into a fiercely loyal, compassionate young woman has shown me that sometimes the greatest accomplishment isn't raising a successful child. It's raising a kind one.This episode is about letting go, holding on, surviving the teenage years, and realizing that the future you've spent years preparing for eventually becomes your past. If you're a parent wondering where the time went, this one's for you.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →A Pool Day With A Grown-Up Kid
3w ago00:13:34Tap to summarizeA quick tap on your kid's leg used to feel like nothing. Then one day it doesn't.This week, James shares a simple summer pool trip with his nonverbal son Lucas that turned into something much bigger. As his daughter prepares to graduate high school, he's already feeling the weight of time moving faster than ever. That reality hits again when he realizes the little boy he's spent years taking to the pool is now a full-sized young man.What follows is a story about routines, trust, transitions, and the quiet ways communication happens without words. James talks about preparing Lucas for outings, handling difficult transitions, and why successful days aren't accidents. They're built on years of trial and error, patience, and learning to understand each other.Most of all, it's a reminder that growth doesn't happen all at once. It stacks up over time, often in ways you don't notice until one ordinary day suddenly feels extraordinary.If you're raising a child with autism, navigating special needs parenting, or simply trying to stay connected as your kids grow older, this episode is about the relationships that make progress possible.Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who could use a parenting win this week.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →The Relationship I Thought I'd Never Have
4w ago00:11:15Tap to summarizeWhen my son Lucas was little, one of my biggest fears had nothing to do with autism itself.It was language.As a writer, words have always been how I connect with people. They're how I explain myself, build relationships, and make sense of the world around me. So when it became clear that Lucas wasn't developing verbal language, I assumed there would always be a wall between us.I couldn't have been more wrong.This week, I talk about the early days of autism parenting, the isolation that comes from not having answers, and why I used to avoid taking Lucas out in public. More importantly, I share what happened over the years as I learned that communication is about far more than speech.Today, Lucas and I have our own language. It's built through trust, routines, humor, gestures, and years of understanding each other. We share jokes. We make each other laugh. We have a relationship that I once thought would be impossible.If you're raising a nonverbal child, wondering what the future might look like, I hope this episode gives you some reassurance. The fears you have today aren't always the reality you'll be living tomorrow.Sometimes the most important things we'll ever hear are said without words at all.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →My Son Doesn't Need Words To Be Understood
Jun 500:16:10Tap to summarizeWhen my son Lucas was first diagnosed with autism, I thought speech was everything.How would he tell me what he needed? How would he make friends? How would he navigate the world? Like many parents, I became fixated on words because I believed they were the key to everything else.I was wrong.In this episode, I talk about what happened when I stopped focusing on speech and started focusing on communication. From picture exchanges and communication devices to gestures, routines, and receptive language, I learned that being understood is far more important than speaking.I also share why parents sometimes become attached to specific milestones, how our own fears can cloud what our children actually need, and the moment I realized that my son's success wasn't tied to verbal language.Most of all, this episode is about acceptance, connection, and understanding that communication comes in many forms. My goal was never for Lucas to speak. My goal was for him to be understood.And there's a big difference between the two.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →When Childhood Ends For My Nonverbal Teen
May 2900:11:24Tap to summarizeMy daughter turned 18 this week, and suddenly I found myself thinking about how fast childhood disappears. One minute your kids are toddlers running through the living room with The Wiggles on in the background, and the next they’re adults making plans for the future.That realization hits differently when you’re raising a nonverbal autistic teenager.This week, I talk about the fear that comes with watching Lucas grow older, why routines can sometimes hide the passage of time, and what it feels like to realize the future you once dreaded is already here. When Lucas was three, the idea of him being 15 and still nonspeaking felt impossible to process. Now we’re living it — and the truth is, life didn’t end. He’s happy. I’m happy. And the worst-case scenario I built in my mind years ago never fully matched reality.I also talk about how a quintuple bypass in 2012 permanently changed the way I look at fear, gratitude, and the life we actually have instead of the one we imagined. We get into parenting, uncertainty, adulthood, and why I refuse to define my son by a checklist of deficits or milestones.Most of all, this episode is about learning to see the beauty in the child you have instead of mourning the version the world expected.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →The Bar For Dads Is So Low It Makes Me Uncomfortable
May 2200:11:15Tap to summarizePeople tell me, “We wish all dads were like you,” and I know they mean it as a compliment. But after hearing it enough times at parent-teacher conferences, CSE meetings, and school events, I started wondering what it really says about the expectations we place on fathers.This week I talk about raising Lucas, why involved dads still get treated like exceptions, the strange culture of applauding fathers for basic parenting, and why the bar for men might be set way too low.Because showing up for your kids shouldn't be extraordinary. It should be expected.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →Why My Son With Autism Melts Down Less With Me
May 1500:13:50Tap to summarizePeople think raising a child with autism is about behavior management, routines, or finding the perfect strategy. For me, the biggest breakthrough came when my son Lucas finally trusted that I understood him.This week, I talk about how everything changed once that trust clicked into place. From meltdowns in parking lots to waiting for food at restaurants, I share the small moments that taught Lucas I wasn’t ignoring his needs, even when the answer was “not yet.”I also talk about the way I communicate with him through gestures, repetition, exaggerated expressions, and consistency, plus why I think patience and emotional regulation matter more than lectures ever could. Along the way, I get into parenting advice, “autism expert” culture, social stories, receptive language, and why every child with autism is different, even when people online try to make it sound simple.Most of all, this episode is about trust, understanding, and the relationship that grows when a child knows you truly have their back.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →I Understand My Son Better Than Anyone Else
May 800:16:51Tap to summarizePeople hear that my son Lucas is nonverbal with autism and usually ask the same question: “How do you understand each other?”The truth is, I understand him better than I understand almost anyone else.This week, I talk about the strange honesty that comes with raising a child who doesn’t hide what he wants, doesn’t play social games, and communicates in ways that are often clearer than words. From Lucas launching himself upstairs the second I finally say “okay, go,” to the trust we’ve built around food, waiting, routines, and emotional regulation, this episode is about the kind of understanding that grows when two people truly learn each other.I also talk about communication devices, gestures, impulse control, and why I think a lot of the online conversation around autism misses the humanity of kids like Lucas completely.Most of all, this episode is about trust, authenticity, and why my relationship with my son is one of the greatest parts of my life.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →Living The Life I Was Afraid Of
May 100:11:32Tap to summarizeThis week’s episode comes from a thought I’ve had for years but finally put into words.When my son was first showing signs of autism, I was terrified of what the future would look like. The things that kept me up at night. The delays, the struggles, the uncertainty...they all felt like deal breakers.The truth is, a lot of those fears came true.My son is nonverbal. He needs help with things most people don’t think twice about. The life I imagined back then as a worst-case scenario is, in many ways, the life we’re living now.And we’re happy.In this episode, I talk about how that happened, why the things I thought I needed turned out not to matter the way I expected, and why I’m more at peace in this life than I ever thought I’d be.This isn’t a universal story. It’s mine. But if there’s something in it that connects with you, take it.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
Transcribe →How My Nonverbal Son Learned to Wait (And Why It Matters)
Apr 2400:17:32Tap to summarize“Kids with autism don’t like to wait.”I heard that in a waiting room while my nonverbal son Lucas was sitting quietly a few feet away. I was ready to be offended...and then realized they weren't talking about us.What started as a simple oil change turned into something bigger. A busy drop-off counter, a quiet moment with his iPad, then a long walk through construction to a strip mall that used to feel impossible.And he handled all of it.No meltdown. No fight. No chaos.Just patience.In this episode, I talk about what changed and why it wasn’t luck. It was something we built over time. Trust, consistency, and understanding. A rhythm.I also get into what that actually looks like in real life: Why waiting used to be so hard How things like food grabbing changed What I do when he gets overwhelmed ...and why this has never been a one-way street Because as much as I’ve worked to understand him, he’s been learning me too.If you’re raising a child with autism or just trying to understand progress that doesn’t always look obvious, this one’s for you.It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.Follow Us On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.
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