Nick Howe sat in a room staring at his newborn son. And knew he couldn't do it anymore. Not the marriage. Not the version of himself he'd been performing for everyone else. Not the cycle he'd watched his parents and grandparents repeat for decades. So at six months old, his son Cam became the reason Nick asked for a divorce — and the reason he started rebuilding everything from the ground up. In this episode Nick — single dad, founder of Hugs, and one of the most emotionally raw guests we've had on the show — gets honest about breaking a generational cycle, the weekly ritual he started with Cam at age four that his son's teacher is now raving about, and how that same ritual became a company built to help couples do what Nick and his son figured out between them. This one is different. And it might stay with you.
Nick Howe sat in a room staring at his newborn son. And knew he couldn't do it anymore. Not the marriage. Not the version of himself he'd been performing for everyone else. Not the cycle he'd watched his parents and grandparents repeat for decades. So at six months old, his son Cam became the reason Nick asked for a divorce — and the reason he started rebuilding everything from the ground up. In this episode Nick — single dad, founder of Hugs, and one of the most emotionally raw guests we've had on the show — gets honest about breaking a generational cycle, the weekly ritual he started with Cam at age four that his son's teacher is now raving about, and how that same ritual became a company built to help couples do what Nick and his son figured out between them. This one is different. And it might stay with you.
Three things you'll learn:
The weekly six-question ritual Nick started with his son at age four called Cups and Spoons — what it is, why he built it, and what it's doing for a ten-year-old that most adults still can't do at thirty
Why Nick says the microsecond between when your emotions heat up and when you explode is the most important moment in fatherhood — and how he trained himself to find it
How Nick turned a bedtime ritual into a platform for couples and therapists — and why the best company he ever built started as a conversation with a four-year-old
About Nick Howe
Nick Howe is the founder of Hugs, a relationship-building platform that helps couples and therapists deepen emotional connection and communication between sessions. He is a single dad to Cam, ten years old, and the creator of Cups and Spoons — a weekly ritual that started between a dad and his four-year-old son and grew into a company. He is based in the US and is one of the most emotionally transparent founders we've had on this show.
About Working Dads
Working Dads is the podcast for fathers figuring out work, family, and everything in between. Every week host Johnathan Grzybowski sits down with working dads — founders, executives, investors, and everyday fathers — for honest conversations about the guilt, the grind, the marriage, the money, and what it actually takes to build a career and a family without dropping the ball on either.
🎙 New episode every week
📩 Subscribe to Built During Bedtime — our weekly newsletter for working dads
💬 Join the community — Slack and Facebook group
Subscribe & Connect
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6aicwtpAEKrXfeViWeCESn?si=sP-QFbZETneBRIGUuoXC1w
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/free-ideas/id1082216467
📺 YouTube/Tiktok/Instagram: @workingdadsco
👥 Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/workingdadsco/
🌐 Website: workingdads.co