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Present Fathers Founder Randy Keith

Mike Force Podcast

Mon Mar 16 2026

Summary

Mike Force Podcast — "Present Fathers Founder Randy Keith" (Mar 16, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this emotionally raw and candid episode of the Mike Force Podcast, host Mike Glover sits down with Randy Keith, founder of Present Fathers—a platform advocating reform in the family court system and supporting fathers facing high-conflict divorces or custody battles. Randy shares his powerful personal journey, the systemic challenges men face, and why honest conversations about fatherhood, mental health, and legal challenges are so vital. The discussion offers practical advice, exposes injustices and systemic biases in family law, and gives hope and actionable guidance to fathers (and mothers) enduring similar experiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Taboo of Men's Emotional Struggles (00:08–02:25)

Mike Glover opens with gratitude for Randy’s openness and the value of talking candidly about male emotional health and struggles.
Randy acknowledges the stigma men face in discussing personal issues, especially struggles at home:

"A lot of people are scared to say the things that I'm saying... because they kind of want people to be silenced on these topics. It's kind of taboo when you think about it." (01:09)
Community response to Present Fathers is overwhelmingly positive, providing lifelines to men who feel isolated.

2. Randy’s Personal Story: Divorce, Crisis, & Survival (02:25–14:15)

Military & Police Background: Randy details marrying young in the Navy, transitioning to police work, and enduring an 11-year marriage marred by his wife’s alcoholism and mental health crises.
Crisis and Recording for Safety: Recounts situations where he had to record his wife’s actions to protect himself from false accusations.
Systemic Bias:

"She should have been arrested for domestic violence. Statutes in Arizona say if there's an act of domestic violence, an arrest shall happen... But I can't tell you what to do in this instance." (05:22)
Double standard: If genders were reversed, the law would be enforced far stricter.
Legal & Emotional Ordeal: Went through restraining orders, supervised visitation, and repeated violations by his ex, all while being treated with suspicion by his own colleagues in law enforcement.

3. Family Court Dysfunction & Financial Strain (14:16–21:10)

"Boomer Mentality" in Courts: Courts lag behind changing family roles—old attitudes penalize fathers.
Financial Gatekeeping: High cost of litigation locks fathers out of their kids’ lives:

"Fathers are getting priced out of their kids' lives... Their children are not in their lives because they can't afford to pay to have them in their lives." (17:01)
Incentives in the System: Federal laws (Title 4D) incentivize states to break up families for financial gain.
System Profit Motive:

"...these attorneys are making a killing...then you've got all these expert witnesses and all these things that cost money... Every state is making a lot of money off of child support. It's a huge revenue generator." (18:35–19:41)

4. CPS, False Allegations, and Child Welfare System Flaws (21:10–26:22)

Weaponized Bureaucracy: False abuse allegations are routinely used in custody battles, traumatizing families.
CPS can interview children at school without parental knowledge, sometimes based on flimsy or spun accusations.
No Recourse for False Claims:

"If you have false allegations brought against you and they are unfounded, there's no punishment for it. There's no consequence whatsoever." (25:42)
These processes traumatize both children and parents.

5. Surviving High Conflict Divorce: Strategies for Fathers (26:23–32:49)

Gaslighting and Legal Tactics: Randy describes realizing he was being gaslit, did research on personality disorders, and learned to minimize emotional reactions for survival.
Advice:

"Don't react. Keep your messages simple. Yes or no. If it's not about the kids...don't reply." (28:49)
Many men lose parental rights because they fall for emotional traps or lack system knowledge.

6. Unethical Practices in Family Law (32:50–33:08)

Some attorneys, Randy claims, actively coach clients to initiate false charges for legal advantage.
Bar associations rarely discipline bad actors:

"...the bar associations need to really start holding these attorneys accountable... Both parties should have ethical representation." (31:55–32:49)

7. Founding Present Fathers: From Personal Pain to Public Advocacy (33:09–38:00)

Began as personal therapy, recording himself after dropping off his kids.
Discovered a large community of men with similar silent struggles:

"I started really getting into helping these people connect with other people that are going through the same thing so that they're not feeling like they're alone." (34:12)
Grief of Divorce: Trauma from high-conflict divorce likened to a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Stigma-breaking: It’s okay for men to seek help and talk about depression and struggle.

8. Societal Double Standards and Media Coverage (38:00–39:16)

Discusses public reactions when mothers vs. fathers commit crimes against children; highlights dangerous cultural biases that overlook or rationalize maternal violence but demonize men.
"When a man does it, the comment threads are: he's a monster... when [a woman] murdered her children... every single one of them were saying, what did the husband do?" (38:12–39:15)

9. Mission & Structure of Present Fathers (39:16–43:54)

Services: Offers affordable coaching, connects men to support.
Advocacy: Collaborates with Mark Ludwig and Rob Garza to promote legislative reform, especially federal Title 4D changes and "equal shared parenting" as legal default.
Content Creation: Guides others to share their stories to raise awareness.

10. The Long Road to Change: Policy and Public Attitudes (43:54–47:32)

Legislation for 50/50 shared custody gaining slow traction; deep systemic inertia and cultural resistance.
Men lack advocacy structures women have in government.

11. What Keeps Randy Going (47:33–49:03)

Support from community—saved lives and real thank-yous keep him motivated:

"People reaching out: Hey, I was about to take my life and I seen one of your videos... I’m still here." (47:36)
The gravity of being a lifeline for desperate fathers.

12. The Ongoing Journey and Honest Outcomes (49:04–52:23)

Future Plans: Expanding to podcasting and wider platforms.
Personal Situation: Candidly admits his own co-parenting situation remains very challenging, but he persists for his children’s sake and to help others:

"Everything that I've learned throughout this is only going to help other people. So if I can use my platform to help other people, that's what I want to do." (51:21)

13. Last Words & Advice for Struggling Fathers (52:24–53:19)

Randy’s Final Advice:

"Take one more step... Tomorrow’s a new day. Keep walking forward... If everything you do is for your kids, you’re going to be okay." (52:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On family court bias:

"If a female went in there and said, 'Hey, my husband... was getting into a gun safe with the kids in the house,' there'd be a SWAT team." (14:48 – Randy)
On the pain of high-conflict divorce:

"Still, the worst thing that ever happened to me was getting divorced and going through a high conflict divorce." (36:47 – Randy)
On changing the script:

"I want them to be seen and... to know people see you, and people are working to make changes happen." (35:58 – Randy)
On why he continues:

"As long as I can do this, I'm going to keep doing it. If. Because I'm saving lives. We're saving lives." (47:36 – Randy)
On tactical advice:

"Don't react. Keep your messages simple. Yes or no. If it's not about the kids... don't reply." (28:50 – Randy)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

[00:08]–[02:25] – Introduction and why men need these conversations
[02:25]–[14:15] – Randy’s marriage, divorce, and police/law system bias
[14:16]–[21:10] – Outdated court attitudes; financial burdens on fathers
[21:10]–[26:22] – CPS, false allegations, and system abuses
[26:23]–[32:49] – Surviving high-conflict divorce; emotional control tactics
[32:49]–[33:08] – Unethical legal practices & lack of accountability
[33:09]–[38:00] – Origins and mission of Present Fathers
[38:00]–[39:16] – Double standards in parental violence
[39:16]–[43:54] – Coaching, advocacy work, legal reform efforts
[43:54]–[47:32] – Men's lack of governmental advocates, the need for unity
[47:33]–[49:03] – Being a lifeline for struggling fathers
[49:04]–[52:23] – Personal co-parenting update; the reality of ongoing struggle
[52:24]–[53:19] – Closing advice for men in crisis

Conclusion

This episode is a powerful, unvarnished look into the lived reality of many divorced fathers—emotionally, legally, and culturally. Randy Keith’s journey from personal chaos to activism shines a light on systemic injustices and reinforces the need for open dialogue, legal reforms, and accessible resources for men. The episode underscores the importance of continuing to step forward, seeking help, and prioritizing children's wellbeing above all, even in the face of a deeply flawed system.

Further Resources

For men in crisis:
Don’t hesitate to reach out to supportive communities or seek professional help—“take one more step, one day at a time.”

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Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign.

B (0:08)

Hey, what's going on, guys? Welcome back to the Mike Force podcast. Got a special guest, Randy, from Present Fathers. Yes, sir, Present Fathers. I'll tell you this, Randy not knowing this, because we never talked about this in advance, has helped me a lot through my personal situation. The things that he's talking about that not a lot of men want to talk about. And it's been a huge help for me emotionally just to, like, down, regulate. He just did a video the other day about kind of down regulating the nervous system, being calm, stable, and, man, I, oh, dude, if it wasn't for you and Rob Garza on social media, and I just talked to Rob last week, doing what you do because of the experiences you've been through, I think a lot of fathers would be in a world of hurt right now.

A (1:00)

So thank, thank you for, for what you do. Yeah, man, it's been, it's been incredible. Just, you know, being able to make a difference, right? After being something, Being through something like this personally and then being able to make a difference in this community. And just like you said, you know, helping you. I get, you know, thousands of messages. People are like, hey, thanks for having the balls to say this, because a lot of people are scared to say, say the things that I'm saying or the things that Rob's saying or Mark Ludwig saying things like that, because, you know, there's a lot of pushback on it, right? Because they kind of want, they kind of want people to be silenced on these topics. And it's kind of taboo when you think about it. People, people don't want to talk about what they got going on at home, right? Because we want to be perfect. Right? And so it's, it's been, it's been really special to, to, to be able to help people in the space and, and get information out to people. And I appreciate you bringing me on here. I really do.

B (1:51)

Yeah, it's huge, man. I, I, A lot of guys hit me up and were like, thank God for having Randy on because he's such a good dude and he's helped me through my personal situation. And they're, like, so stoked about it. I mean, I have, you know, SEAL Team six operators that were on the bin Laden raid, and they're more excited about you because they're like, I get some perspective and some insight to how this works.

A (2:17)

Right.

B (2:17)

Randy, tell, tell me about, like, how you got your background and how you got into this and how this thing evolved into what it is today.

A (2:25)

Yeah. So, you know, I got married When I was in the military, I was in the Navy. Got married, right? Got married too fast, like a lot of people in the military do, right? Ended up getting out of the military, became a police officer. I was married for about 11 years. 11 or 12 years. And then she started drinking heavily. And when I say heavily, I'm talking about like a gallon of vodka a night. Heavy. And so, you know, I don't know if you've ever been lectured by somebody that's drunk, right? But we're laying in bed one night and she's, she's been doing this for months, just lecturing me over and over, and she goes, I think we should get divorced. And at this point I was done. So I was like, yeah, that's probably a good idea. So the next day I filed. And then we had to co habitat, right? So we both had to live in the house until we could get through our case. During that time, she was, you know, it was complete hell for me and my kids having to live like that. And then one night she, she said, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go blow my brains out. And she, she heads towards the gun safe. Now mind you, I'm recording everything because I know how things can get twisted in this system, right?

A (6:00)

No, it's a neighboring department. But. But I mean, we work with these guys all the time. Yeah. And so they sent. They end up sending her to the hospital probably two hours later. Right. She's blowing up my phone. Hey, I'm on my way to the house. And I'm like, what. What do you mean you're on the way to the house? Yeah, I'm. I'm on my way. So I'm scrambling, I'm grabbing my kids, I'm grabbing things, and I, And I. And I leave the house because I don't want the confrontation that's about to happen in front of my kids. That. And she already. She was trying to get in a gun safe. So I called the hospital and I'm like, hey, like, you guys are releasing her. Like, she literally was just trying to get into a gun safe. And she said, I'm gonna blow my brains out. Like, what's going on here? Why. Why is this happening? And they say, well, you know, we can't give you any information. Hipaa, which I get. I'm not looking for information. I'm just letting you know, hey, this is what's happening. Like, was real. And then I kind of get the vibe from the nurse that she thinks that I'm trying to manipulate her into keeping. Right. So I know that my ex has talked to the nurse at this point and flip things around. And I'm like, okay, that's. I. She's got to deal with herself, but I need to make sure my kids are protected. So I grabbed the kids, I leave, I go to my parents house and you know, she's blowing up the phone. Where's the kids? I want my kids. And I say, listen, like, I'm not trying to keep the kids from you, but I need you to take care of yourself and the stuff that you got going on. And then you can absolutely see the kids. But right now you're not in a good state of mind. I said, you know, we're at my parents, which is a small house, right? It's a tiny house and not, not really any room for me and the kids. And I'm like, if you could just leave for a little bit so that I can come home with the kids and we can, you know, work this out later, that'd be great. She refused to leave. She refused to leave the house. So what ended up happening is I ended up getting a. It's called a Title 36 in Arizona.

A (35:36)

Exactly. And that's when I started to realize that this was rampant, this was running rampant. And I, you know, I'm the type of person like, if there's a problem, gotta fix it. So people started listening to me, and I said, okay, this is what I'm gonna do. I'm going to take this platform that I have and put it to good use. And, you know, I'm gonna try for change. I'm gonna, you know, do what I can to help people that are going through this, help men that are going through this, help moms that are going through this. And I want them to be seen and I want them to be heard, and I want them to know people see you, and people are working to make changes happen. You know, just go. Going back to what you said about, you know, men are, you know, we don't talk about our feelings. Right. We keep that. Keep that Inside, Especially if you're depressed. Right. You can't be a man and be depressed. That's, you know, that's just wrong. You can't do that. And that's another thing I want men to know is it's okay. It's okay to be depressed, especially if you're going through a divorce or a breakup. You know, I've heard people say that, you know, people that have. That have been deployed multiple times, and they say, this is the worst thing I've ever been through. Absolutely. You know, after all the. That I've seen, you know, even me being a police officer and seeing all kinds of horrible in my job, still, the worst thing that ever happened to me was getting divorced and going through a high conflict divorce. I also read a study. I can't remember where I've seen it, but I read a study that's, as you know, going through a high conflict divorce is the level of trauma you go through in. That is the same as having a terminal cancer diagnosis and the grief and all the trauma. Yeah, yeah. And that really resonated with me. And so I do want people to know. You're seen, you're not alone. And it's okay to reach out and get that help that you need. You know, go see a counselor, you know, go talk to who you need. Who you need to talk to in that moment, whoever that is. I'm not saying you have to go to a counselor, but if you got a buddy, you know, you can reach out with, have a beer by a fire, just, you know, open up to them and let them know that, hey, I need a little help right now, that's okay. You know, we got to break the stigma of men not reaching out and getting the help that they need when they're in these spots. Because during these times, there's a lot of men that, you know, ultimately take their own life. Yeah. Because. Because that grief and trauma is too much for them to bear.

A (41:34)

Yeah, he's on Facebook. Robert Garza is another one, too. Yeah, absolutely. Go follow. And so another thing that Mark Ludwig's doing is he's pushing for equal shared parenting. Right. He's trying to get a federal bill passed to where that is the standard. So when you walk into court, 50, 50 is the standard. And you should have to prove why, why that shouldn't be the case, as opposed to walking into court and the mother is looked at as, okay, 80, 80 go into the mother, 20% go into the father. Right. And so these are the things that, that Mark's trying to, trying to get past. And I'm going to go to D.C. with Mark in June, and we're going to be meeting with legislators, and not just me, a lot of, a lot of advocates are going to be going with Mark to get things done in D.C. at the Federal level. I'm not a politician. I'm not good at politics. Right. I speak what's on my mind, and sometimes that gets me in trouble. But Mark understands what's going on, and he's, he's the one that's really pushing for these things. And I, you know, to get back to your question, I financially, I help Mark to. So that he can do what he does because he's just a regular guy, too. And, you know, he does like, Uber and Lyft and stuff like that just to, like, get by. And he does, I think, I can't remember how many trips he did last year to D.C. to work on this, but multiple, I'm going to say at least five trips to D.C. to meet with legislators. So that's another thing that we're doing with present fathers is we're, we're getting behind Mark and what he's got going on and donating to the cause that he's got going on. And then third, it's just the content that I create. Right. That resonates with people. That's how you found me. You know, it resonates with people that are in a bad space. And I want to be that person. Not just I want to be that person. I just want more people to do it too. Right. To learn. Hey, it's okay to talk about this. This is wrong. There's things that are happening are wrong, and it's okay to talk about it. And so we're doing that with present father. We're talking about it. We're getting other people to talk about it. I've created some content on how people should create content, if that's something that they want to do, what they should say and not say and things like that. So with present father, we're trying to get changed. That's our mission.