Ryan Smith sits down with me to talk about his fatherhood journey. We talk about the values he looked to instill into his kids. In addition he shares the life lessons his kids have taught him. After that we talk about working at ESPN and ABC. He shares how he felt when he won an Emmy and how he can show his kids the value of hard work. Ryan shares his unique journey from working in law to getting into broadcasting. Lastly, we finish the interview with the Fatherhood Quick Five. 

About Ryan Smith 

Ryan Smith joined ESPN in February 2017 as a host on ESPN’s Outside the Lines and E:60 and as a New York-based correspondent. He added anchoring SportsCenter to his role in 2019 and now anchors weekday morning editions of ESPN’s signature news and information program. In addition to his role as a host, Smith reports feature stories and investigative pieces while providing legal analysis across multiple ESPN platforms and ABC News. Prior to taking on his new role in February, Smith had contributed to ESPN as a legal analyst and fill-in host for Bob Ley on Outside the Lines since he joined ABC in 2014.

Before joining ABC News, Smith served as the nightly news anchor at CNN’s Headline News where he reported on a variety of stories including some of the most high-profile trials including those of Casey Anthony and George Zimmerman. A graduate of Syracuse University and Columbia Law, Smith served as a lawyer for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and practiced Sports and Entertainment Law in New York City. Follow Ryan on Twitter and Instagram at @ryansmithtv and make sure you check out his work at ESPN and ABC platforms.  

Medela Is This Week’s Sponsor 

This week’s Art of Fatherhood podcast is being brought to you by Medela. Dads, when it comes to helping your partner or spouse with breastfeeding, only cleaning the baby bottles just won’t cut it. You need to do more. Ask your spouse what you can do to help with her transition when she goes back to work. At work if you are running a team or looking to be an advocate, talk to your team and HR department about how your office can offer support for breastfeeding employees. In addition, with the infant formula crisis, new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, a receding global health pandemic and a spike in inflation are all placing increasing pressure on new parents returning to work who need substantive support to continue breastfeeding. 

The normalize breastfeeding drum keeps beating. Cultural acceptance is here to stay. Thankfully Medela is leading that drum beat with their Kin program. Kin is a customizable, single-source solution from Medela and Mamava that opens up a world of best-in-class technology, resources, and accessories specifically designed for new and expecting parents. Employees get the support they need to successfully balance their career with breastfeeding and a growing family. Medela is doing their part, now it is up to us. Learn more at medela.us/kin.

About The Art of Fatherhood Podcast 

The Art of Fatherhood Podcast podcast follows the journey of fatherhood. Your host, Art Eddy talks with fantastic dads from all around the world where they share their thoughts on fatherhood. You get a unique perspective on fatherhood from guests like Joe Montana, Kevin Smith, Danny Trejo, Jerry Rice, Jeff Foxworthy, Patrick Warburton, Jeff Kinney, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kyle Busch, Dennis Quaid, Dwight Freeney and many more.