PATERNAL is an acclaimed podcast featuring conversations with leading psychologists, bestselling authors, entertainers, professional athletes and otherwise ordinary men with extraordinary stories about the complexities of fatherhood, manhood, and masculinity.

Over the past six years Paternal has emphasized the common traits of men who might otherwise be separated by socioeconomic class, sexuality, education, religion, or race, and the show has featured episodes about topics such as absent fathers, transgender kids, gay dads, divorce, the death of children, school shootings, white privilege, addiction, shame, anxiety, and more.

Paternal has been featured in The Washington Post, The Denver Post, InsideHook, and the Apple Podcasts store, which selected Paternal as a Best Podcast For Fathers on Father’s Day 2022. Lifehacker also named the show one of the Best Podcasts Every Dad Should Listen To.

NICK FIRCHAU is a longtime journalist, podcast producer, and the host and creator of Paternal. A father of two young children, he launched the show in 2017 on the hunch that listeners would be drawn to the idea that real conversations with men about the complexities of fatherhood are rare and, when done well, an essential part of a larger conversation about the social construction of masculinity and issues of men’s mental health.

Firchau is also a longtime journalist who has written for the Chicago Sun-Times, The Associated Press, Wired, and Lifehacker, and a podcast producer who has hosted, produced, or edited podcast projects for Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon Web Services and Nvidia, as well as Crooked Media, Major League Soccer, Andreessen-Horowitz, and 24 Hour Fitness.

THE PATERNAL LOGO was designed by California-based artist and designer TREVOR PORT. He is the founder and designer at Keep Earth Around.

GUEST ILLUSTRATIONS are done by India-based illustrator SARAT MOHARANA, who specializes in vector portraits and digital painting.

THE PATERNAL WEBSITE was designed by California-based designer LAINE CARLSNESS. She specializes in identity, print and websites, and runs Broadsheet Design.