To find the fatherhood support he needed, coffee shop lover and proud dad Ron Holden Jr. reflected on his life with his two daughters—two-year-old Layla and one-month-old Nari.
He noticed that while mothers often had access to classes and meetups, fathers had far fewer places to talk about fatherhood, mental health, and the challenges of parenting.
“You go to doctor visits and quite literally, no one asks the dads: ‘How are you feeling? You all right, today? You good?’ It’s like: ‘Mom, you’re good. The baby is good,’” Holden Jr told The Guardian.
That realization led him to create Dads Coffee Club. This group helps fathers connect, share, and find emotional support in a welcoming environment.
A safe space for dads and their kids
Earlier this year, Ron started the club in Los Angeles, inviting fathers to bring their children to local coffee shops for relaxed 90-minute meetups.
The gatherings have no formal structure—just time to talk, laugh, and bond.
“It’s a safe space for you to just embrace your child being your child, exuding their energy and all that in the coffee shop and experiencing it,” Holden Jr said.
Usually, about 25 to 30 dads attend. Some are new to fatherhood, while others have grown children.
They come from diverse backgrounds but share a common goal: to find support and community for fatherhood through honest conversation.
Ron noticed that men feel more comfortable talking about their experiences when their kids are present.
Many fathers, he said, feel isolated by the pressure to appear strong and self-reliant.
Breaking down barriers through fatherhood support
Ron believes that creating spaces like Dads Coffee Club helps men open up without fear of judgment.
Many fathers face pressure to always “have it together,” leaving little room for vulnerability or emotional honesty.
He explained that some dads struggle with balancing their new identities. They deeply love their children but still miss parts of their old lives—friends, freedom, or routines.
Through this club, they can safely talk about those feelings and realize they’re not alone.
For Ron, fatherhood support means making emotional conversations feel natural and comfortable.
It’s about showing that being a good dad includes talking about feelings, asking for help, and supporting one another through both joy and difficulty.
“It’s just a wild world,” he said. “I really enjoy being a dad. It’s so fun, it’s rewarding. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Expanding beyond coffee: art, culture, and parenting
The group’s mission has grown beyond coffee shops.
Recently, Dads Coffee Club organized an outing to The Broad Museum, where art curator Antoine J. Girard guided a tour that inspired both fathers and their children.
Their next trip will be to the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles.
These experiences help dads and kids connect through creativity while reinforcing the values of parenting and presence.
Ron hopes these meetups remind fathers that being involved can look many different ways—and all of them matter.
He dreams of expanding fatherhood support programs like his nationwide, helping fathers see that being vulnerable, expressive, and engaged is not just accepted—it’s celebrated.
The power of affirmation and men’s support
Another dad, Ian Davis, a creative consultant from New York, also focuses on promoting mental health and vulnerability among fathers.
As a facilitator for WalkGood LA’s YouGood?, he leads meditation, journaling, and mindfulness sessions that invite men to express their true feelings.
He often encourages fathers to repeat positive affirmations with their children. “I make them repeat: ‘I’m whole. I’m complete. I’m lacking nothing. I’m the embodiment of infinite possibilities. Anything and everything is possible. All things are working for my good,’” he said.
For Ian, these moments build emotional strength and remind fathers that true masculinity includes empathy, openness, and reflection.
His message of men’s support continues through his projects, including Dads Link and Golf, where dads connect over sports and conversation.
Finding fatherhood support through safe spaces for black fathers
In Houston, Donnie Scantz, a father of three, said joining YouGood? Helped him and other fathers embrace vulnerability and heal emotionally.
One Father’s Day session had a powerful impact on him and his son. Fathers wrote letters to their younger selves and read them aloud to their children.
The experience reminded Scantz of the importance of children seeing their dads express emotions.
It helped him realize how strong fatherhood support could be when men are free to speak their truth.
“It’s a comforting space, because Black men, we have walls that are maybe even unintentionally put up,” Scantz said.
He believes those walls often come from society’s expectations that men must stay silent about pain or fear.
But as more fathers gather in spaces like Dads Coffee Club and YouGood?, those walls are slowly coming down—replaced by honesty, empathy, and connection.
Redefining fatherhood through vulnerability
For Ron and other fathers building these communities, fatherhood support is more than a meeting—it’s a movement.
It’s redefining how men approach parenting and showing that real strength lies in vulnerability.
These fathers are proving that love, laughter, and emotional honesty can coexist harmoniously.
Through every shared story, every coffee meetup, and every open conversation, they are helping one another—and the next generation—see that being a dad is not just about showing up. It’s about opening up.
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