138. Wisdom from Grandpa Owl with Philip Lower

FINE is a 4-Letter Word

In the United States, more than 64 million men identify themselves as fathers.

Yet, 7 million American dads are absent from the lives of their minor children, and 17.4 million children live in fatherless homes!

Philip Lower, technically, grew up as one of these statistics.

His biological father took his own life when Phil was five years old, leaving him with the question: "Why did Daddy have to leave me?"

Five years later his mother met and married a wonderful man who became Phil's stepfather. But, it wasn't until until he was 25 that Phil stopped treating his stepdad as a “butthead,”– that was his own term.

As an adult, Phil became dad to two daughters and worked for a Fortune 250 company managing leadership development and training for 2,000 employees.

It seemed like everything was fine - but Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

There was a reorganization and the development team got whacked – and in the meantime, Phil was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome.

Due to his condition, he couldn't get another job, even as a Walmart greeter, for the same reason.

He and his family ended up homeless for almost three years, with a period of time where they lived apart before he was able to figure out a way to afford to live with them in hotel rooms.

Not only was he physically separated from his daughters, but because of the impact of Guillain–Barré on his nervous system, he couldn't even feel them when touching them on the cheek.

For Phil and his daughters, as well his career, this experience led to a new beginning. The dad jokes he told to his girls turned into the first published Dad Quote of the Day book. The second book was a collection of recipes they developed in the kitchenette of their Extended Stay hotel room.

Phil is now on an endeavor to translate concepts and principles of leadership and empathy into language kids can easily understand. From the Trees of Leadership sprung the Grandpa Owl series, which features a wise owl who teaches family values in a way that relates to historical events in a unique, holistic approach you’ve not seen before.

Phil’s hype song is "Strength of a Thousand Men" by Two Steps from Hell.

Resources:

• Philip Lower’s website: https://dqotd.com/welcome-to-grandpa-owl/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowerphil
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dadquoteoftheday
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dadquoteoftheday
• To learn more about Granda Owl, e-mail Phil at [e-mail].

Invitation from Lori:

If, like Phil, you find yourself in a place where you either physically or metaphotically lose touch, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide can be the restorative vitamin that brings back the feeling.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start. It’s time to reach out and feel the power of your destiny.

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

Now let’s meet Phil. Oh geez - he just posted another dad joke and I can hear him laughing from 100 feet away!