From the Army to Addiction Recovery: Coach Ken's Powerful Story! #fatherhood

What happens when the man everyone depends on finally admits that he needs someone to pour into him? In Episode 70 of the New Dad Order Podcast, Ray and Parfait sit down with Coach Ken Richardson—a husband, father of two, military veteran, youth coach, and night supervisor at Restoring Freedom, a 28-day addiction recovery facility in Amite, Louisiana. What begins as a conversation about youth sports and coaching becomes an honest discussion about fatherhood, addiction recovery, military service, discipline, faith, vulnerability, marriage, raising athletes, and the pressure men carry when everyone expects them to be strong. Ken shares how his wife challenged him to stop criticizing youth coaches from the stands and get involved himself. That decision eventually turned into years of coaching and mentoring young people. He also explains why he sometimes evaluates the PARENTS instead of the players—and how unrealistic sports parents can make youth coaching harder than it needs to be. But one of Ken's most important lessons as a sports dad is simple: he's trying to raise a young man, not just an athlete. The conversation goes much deeper when Ken discusses his military service, including deployments to Kosovo, Kuwait and Iraq, and his own past struggle with alcohol. Today, he works directly with men battling drug and alcohol addiction and has witnessed what happens when pride, denial, pain and isolation prevent men from asking for help. Ken explains why recovery requires more than simply telling someone to "have discipline," why men need purpose, why grace matters, and why sometimes the first step toward helping someone is simply getting them in the car and having a conversation. Ray and Parfait also discuss the complicated line between pushing your child toward his potential and trying to live through him, coaching your own children, knowing when to step back, protecting your peace, and learning to listen when your child tells you something you may not want to hear. Then the conversation takes an unexpected turn. Ken reveals that his own faith is being tested by a serious health uncertainty. After spending years encouraging athletes, fathers and men in recovery to keep fighting, he acknowledges that he is now the one who needs encouragement: "I'm still gonna be encouraging. Now it might be time for y'all to pour into me." That's what this episode ultimately becomes—a conversation about strong men allowing themselves to be supported. Being a strong father doesn't mean carrying everything alone. Being a leader doesn't mean never struggling. And sometimes the man who spends his life helping everyone else needs someone to ask him how HE is doing. If you're a father, husband, coach, veteran, Christian, mentor, or someone dealing with addiction in your family, this conversation is worth hearing. Subscribe to New Dad Order for honest conversations about fatherhood, faith, marriage, youth sports, discipline, leadership, family and becoming the men our families need. Contact Ken: Facebook-Ken Richardson Restoring Freedom-Recovery Center-985-289-5264. [email protected] ✦ Sponsored By Burns Estate Planning & Wealth Advisors President & CEO: Ernie M. Burns, Jr. Master Certified Estate Planner (MCEP®) Forbes Top Financial Security Professional in Louisiana (2022 & 2023) Author of Total Retirement: A Step-By-Step Educational Guide Host of Total Retirement with Ernie Burns 🌐 Website: https://burnsestateplanning.com 📧 Email: [email protected] ✦ Business Inquiries 📧 [email protected] ✦ Podcast Hosts Jerrard Parfait 📧 [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @itsparfait Ray Belvin 📧 [email protected] ✦ Partners & Discounts 💤 Sleep & Recovery Melatonin-Free Sleep Support Promo Code: NDOZZZ 🔗 https://thirdzy.com/ ⚡ Energy Boost Dubby Energy — Discount Applied Automatically 🔗 https://www.dubby.gg/discount/NEWDADO... ✦ New Dad Order — Official Links 📸 Instagram Instagram: newdadorderpodcast1 🎧 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4Zi2b2l... 🎵 TikTok TikTok: newdadorder 🍎 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 🎙️ Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ba4... ✦ Keywords / Hashtags 0:00 Balancing Fatherhood and Sports 2:16 Meet Coach Ken Richardson 3:30 The Call to Step Up 6:20 A Minute with God 10:02 The Military Path 15:42 Restoring Freedom Through Recovery 23:02 The Grace Period in Recovery 48:21 Lessons from Overseas 1:13:40 A Personal Health Battle #Fatherhood #ModernFatherhood #DadLife #NewDadOrder