Stepping into fatherhood can be the most rewarding, yet jarring, transition of their lives for many men. For Athletic Ambassador Adam Kunes, this transition was the catalyst for a whole new movement and trajectory of his life. Based in South Carolina, Adam is an entrepreneur, an outdoor enthusiast, a dedicated hockey player, and most importantly, a husband and father.

We caught up with Adam to talk about his non-traditional career path, the importance of giving yourself grace as a parent, and why Athletic Brewing is always his go-to drink for a busy dad of three.

Tell us a bit about yourself! Where are you from and how did you get into your career? 

I live in Charleston, but I’m originally from Pittsburgh. I’ve followed a very non-traditional career path. Back in college, I started a company digitizing old home movies and photos for beer money, and it really took off. I ran that for eight years, sold it, then spent some time in San Francisco working with a business newsletter, and eventually started a group travel and volunteer company.

When the pandemic hit, it became really tough to run a travel company, so I had to decide what was next. I eventually transitioned to running a marketing agency, but while doing so, I had become a parent and I realized there wasn’t a whole lot of relatable content out there in the dad space for me. I sat on the concept of an email newsletter for fathers for quite a while, feeling like I wasn’t an expert. But after some encouragement from a friend more than two years ago, I finally launched Dad Day.

Dad Day has grown from a simple newsletter to an incredible community with in-person events and nearly 50,000 subscribers. What inspired you to add events and bring dads together in real life? 

It has been incredibly cool to see how Dad Day has morphed from just a guy behind a desk, writing an email newsletter, to a full team of people building a relatable media brand designed for fathers. 

We had been doing some run club events across the country for a bit. Having been in the experiential space for quite a while, I knew we needed to create an immersive, in-person experience for Dad Day. We recently hosted our first weekend experience in Charleston for about 25 guys from all over the country. We did surf lessons, cold plunges, saunas, and listened to incredible speakers. Everyone came with their guard down and left with a bunch of new dad friends. We are already planning our next one in Austin during October.

What are your long term goals with Dad Day? 

Working on Dad Day brings me a lot of joy. I get emails everyday from people thanking me or saying that a specific message really resonated with them, which is so fulfilling to hear. 

We recently started doing short films to showcase the amazing dads in our community. Our first seven-minute documentary featured a friend of mine who drives an old classic car and serves coffee out of it just to connect with people. We also just wrapped up a film about a dad in Pittsburgh whose son has severe cerebral palsy and he pushed him through a marathon. These stories are inspiring, motivational, and bring a lot of humility to the everyday challenges of parenting. 

Content and community is our bread and butter, and I hope we can continue to build so more people that need a community like Dad Day can hear about it. 

How did you discover Athletic Brewing, and how does it fit into your crazy busy schedule as a dad of three? 

I discovered Athletic years ago during the pandemic. I am big into fitness and working out, and as I’ve aged into fatherhood, I’ve realized I just don’t like feeling the effects of alcohol the next day. 

With three kids, my schedule is completely maxed out. I’m up early making breakfast, getting the boys dressed, doing school drop-offs, running a marketing agency, building the Dad Day brand, and handling afternoon pick-ups. My daily routine is just non-stop - go, go, go. My days are intense and structured and Athletic fits well into my lifestyle.

Looking back to seven years ago when you were holding your first newborn, what advice would you give to yourself or any new dad out there? 

I would tell myself to have a lot more grace with myself. When we had our first son, it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. I found myself wanting to rush through the baby phase because I was so eager to get to the stage where we could throw a football or play hockey in the driveway. I was super hard on myself. Was I supposed to feel a certain way with having a newborn? 

If I could go back, I’d tell myself to pump the brakes and accept that season for what it was. Everything changes when you become a dad, but that change is a beautiful thing. You are doing one of the most important things you’ll ever do in life. 

What is your favorite Athletic Brew?

My absolute go-to is Upside Dawn. It’s funny because we had a happy hour at our recent Dad Day retreat with a bunch of different beverage options, and the Athletic Brewing cans were the first to go!