WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL 

The day was Wednesday, May 18, 2022.  The day Nick Barnett remembers as the turning point in his road to recovery. It was the day Nick faced a surprise intervention from his wife and Mother. It was the day Nick Barnett stopped drinking.

Since that day in 2022, the father of three boys and 2001 Waterloo East High School graduate, has been on a new journey to help people, specifically struggling Fathers, by equipping them with the tools necessary to be a great Dad. 

His non-profit is called The Domestic Dad Project. Rooted in sobriety, The Domestic Dad Project is becoming a community resource for Dads to get and keep their lives on track. 

Nick started a podcast called, ‘Domestic Dad: Cleaning Up The Mess,” featuring a wide variety of inspiring interview guests talking about a myriad of issues, like personal growth, parenting, staying sober, counseling, community support, family solutions, local support and resources.

One of the goals of The Domestic Dad Project and Podcast is to end the stigma often associated with men asking for help. As Nick found out, it’s okay to reach out and admit, “I need some help,”

So, how did Nick Barnett get to this point, following his family intervention a little more than two years ago?

May 18, 2022, began, perhaps, as a somewhat normal day for Nick, who says, “I had been drinking that day. Early in the morning until mid-afternoon.”

A little after four that afternoon, Nick’s Mom stopped by his home unannounced. That was unusual, he would later say. 

Referring to Nick’s ongoing, excessive drinking, she told him, “Nick, you’re going to die, and if you die from this, everything that I’ve done in my life, would not have been worth it.”

“That really hit me in the heart.” He adds. “My wife was there, and her concern was the same. I was reminded at that point that I have three children, three sons, who do depend on their father. I was very close to leaving them with a legacy that was different from what I had hoped.”

Nick says several personal incidents triggered the realization he needed to make a change. “‘There was a series of events. Those ranged from drinking at home. Just getting very foggy. Not remembering a lot of what was going on during the weekend  My wife and my kids were not getting the best version of myself. Becoming not the person I wanted to be, once everyone else came back into the house. I felt a need for change.”  Nick also lost three close friends to addiction, which he says impacted him dramatically.

As for the need to change, “Knowing you have a problem, and how to understand it and deal with it is a huge part of that process. On that day (May 18, 2022) I just decided to put my palms up, and just be submissive to the fact that I was an addict, and, to this day, I still am. That’s a huge part of what keeps me ‘in check’ every single day.” 

Nick has become a peer addiction recovery coach. He got into a program offered at the University of Iowa, within the Iowa Peer Workforce Collaboration. The University of Iowa program works with a well-known peer addiction recovery initiative called CCAR, The Connecticut Community For Addiction Recovery Program.

It’s that peer work training which has helped him in his personal recovery saying, “People I have been able to lean into, who have traversed all of the obstacles of addiction. That has been substantial in my journey.”

“I want to create a line of communication for people, Dads, specifically, who are looking for some support. Who are looking for somewhere to lean into. 

The podcast came about almost by accident. Nick’s brother bought him a ‘podcast microphone’ as a Christmas present. He says, ”I unwrapped that and said, what do I do.” What he did was decide to use a spare bedroom in the basement of his house as the origination studio for the Domestic Dad Podcast.

Nick says he recorded one podcast episode, but, really wasn’t happy or satisfied with that first podcast. Nick’s sister-in law suggested he contact successful podcaster, Danielle McGeough, at the University of Northern Iowa. Danielle’s ‘Plan Goal Plan Podcast’ is one of the most successful Mom-focused podcasts out here right now, among the 4-million podcasts available.

Nick wrote down Danielle’s name, but didn’t call her. 

Then something happened, which would change everything for Nick’s new podcast.

He was volunteering for the Momentum Program at Waterloo’s One City United United on Independence Avenue. A couple, Mary and Jim Dick, came into the building. The Dick’s facilitate interviews for the Momentum Program.

They began a conversation with Nick. He told them about his new podcast, and they told him about their daughter, who also has a podcast. Her name just happened to be Danielle McGeough.

This time, Nick didn’t wait. He made contact with Danielle, who was instrumental in helping Nick develop his Domestic Dad Podcast.

Danielle says, “When I was talking to Nick, it became so clear to me how much his heart was in the project. Things are not only personally on the line for him, but he’s really committed to helping other people. He wants to serve.”

Check out this week’s Father’s Day edition of The Steele Report, as Nick Barnett talks about his own personal recovery and his ongoing efforts to help other Dads.