Dadville with Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin

How to Survive an Empty Nest with Jon Acuff

Dadville with Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin

Show Notes

We are thrilled to welcome back three-time guest Jon Acuff. As a New York Times bestselling author, Jon has built a career helping people stop overthinking and finally get unstuck. In this episode, we tackle the "architecture of enough" and the transition to empty nesting. Jon shares insights from his new book, Procrastination Proof, explaining how procrastination is often a failed "solution" for fear and why we need permission to win. We also discuss shifting your motivation fuel from fear to service and Jon's practical discipline hack: "make tomorrow easy today". Join us for a conversation that will leave you both inspired and lightly roasted.

Check out Jon's new book: https://jonacuff.com/

Join us: http://dadville.substack.com

All Things Dave: ⁠https://www.davebarnes.com⁠

All Things Jon: ⁠https://www.jonmcl.com⁠

Thanks to our sponsors!

Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://shopify.com/dadville

Boll & Branch - Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at ⁠⁠http://bollandbranch.com/dadville⁠⁠ Exclusions apply.

Quince - Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://quince.com/dadville⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

The Wonder Project: Subscriber support makes more great content like I Gotta Ask with Annie F. Downs possible. The Wonder Project subscription on Prime Video is available in the U.S. for $8.99/month or $89.99/year after a 7-day free trial. Visit ⁠⁠IGottaAsk.com⁠⁠ to learn more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from Dadville with Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin

Oct 20, 2026

Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin team up with Joey and Chris from the Brave and Big podcast for a special crossover episode! The guys kick off with a hilarious round of "Dadville or Slipknot" before tackling the viral golf post that had offended golfers flooding their comments.

Oct 13, 2026

In this episode of Dadville, Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin welcome back close friend and musical powerhouse Justin Rosolino. The guys kick off with behind-the-scenes audio chaos and memories of meeting in Muncie, Indiana—where Justin initially mistook Jon McLaughlin for a jazz-fusion guitar icon.

Oct 6, 2026

Danny Wuerffel's résumé reads like a movie that would be too perfect to believe. He won four straight SEC titles at Florida, a national championship, and the 1996 Heisman Trophy. He's in the College Football Hall of Fame, and there's a road named after him. In this episode of Dadville, Dave and Jon ask what it's like to live that and then decide what comes next.

Sep 29, 2026

Welcome back to Dadville! In this episode, we’re balancing a little benevolent self-promotion with essential dad business. First up, we share our upcoming Christmas tour dates—from Jon’s live debut in Hoover, Alabama to Dave’s return to the Schermerhorn in Nashville.

Sep 22, 2026

In this episode of Dadville, we sat down with counselor and family friend Will Mooney to talk about what it actually takes to show up well for our kids. We dive deep into the core truth that "more is caught than taught"—our children mirror our emotional health far more than our verbal lectures. Will opens up about his journey into counseling, helping us unpack shadow selves, old personal baggage, and inevitable parenting ruptures (including an infamous milk-throwing incident!).

See all episodes →