Unraveling the Mystery: The Origin Story of The Ordinary Dad

Every hero has one.

So does every villian.

I know I am neither...

but...

Why shouldn't I have one?

This is the origin story of The Ordinary Dad.

The Dad

Ok, all jokes, bad memes and prolongation for no reason aside, I think it is only fair to give you the reason why we are here.

Afterall, you should have a reason to read.

I am The Ordinary Dad.

Dan Gonzalez. 41, married to the love of my life. My wonderful common-law wife Krystina.

With 3 amazing kids.

Truly the apple of any parents eye.

Xavier, 8

Eva, almost 5

And, Karina, 3

I have always wanted to be a dad.

The traditions and customs.

Feeling the love in our tight knit Spanish household, all I have ever wanted was to raise a family of my own.

There was something about having a family of my own that I was always drawn to but meeting someone with the same familial family bonds only strengthened my desire.

Since I was a teenager, the thought of teaching my kids to walk and tie their shoes.

To run and play with them.

To be there to teach my girls how to pick a good guy or my son to shave.

To be there to support and guide my family has always been my goal.

And now, I could not be more grateful for my family and the people in my life.

My wife, kids, family and friends.

I am loved, supported and admired.

Honestly, I have only ever wanted to be a dad.

And for the last 8 years, that has been my reality. Even when things are boring, or hard. On a cold, grey February, when you don't want to do it.

Watching these kids grow up is the joy of my life.

They are the reason for everything I do. Given the opportunity I will talk about them on end.

But more on them in another post.

The Career

Prior to and aside from my parental responsibilities, and, to take a step back to provide important context. For the last 12 years, I have been a career marketer focusing on client-facing roles in digital marketing agencies.

Working my way up from telemarketing to collections.

From phone survey roles to an account executive.

From dialing the phone 300 times a day in sales roles to account management at leading digital marketing agencies in Canada.

Moving through my career in sales or in account management roles, mainly in digital, I built my skills in the online world. Learning SEO, Google and Facebook Ads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, etc. You name it, I know the platform and how to get the most out of it.

Ultimately growing to a senior account manager. The guy that helps plan out a brand strategy and make sure everything is working the way it should be. Managing millions of dollars in monthly digital marketing spend.

I was the go-to guy my clients relied on as their trusted expert.

Plumbers and electricians looking to get more calls by being found at the top of Google.

Retro clothing companies wanting more sales from teens seeing their ads on Facebook and Instagram.

Online luggage retailers maximizing revenue from YouTube, email marketing and Pinterest campaigns.

You name it.

I have heard their goals and dreams and have worked with that type of company. I was the voice and face of the agencies I represented. I was there to take the praise when things were working and I was the scapegoat when things didn't.

Any business trying to reach their key target customer.

I was the guy.

The Opportunity

But as spring 2023 was turning into summer, as a consequence of the ever tightening of the belt in the corporate world, specifically a "hollowing out" of the digital landscape. I found myself at home, unemployed, taking care of my kids, like I have always wanted to.

Preparing breakfast and lunches.

Making sure they get their Nutella toast and their chicken nuggets.

Don't forget the ketchup!

Being the stay-at-home dad, making sure the house was clean and meals were on the table. In the way that only a dad can.

Walking them to and from school every day. Playing the spot the Tesla game, or catch or going for after dinner family walks was the job for me.

But now with nothing but the time to dive into things that I have a passion for. This is the opportunity I have been waiting for to create content and dive into the world of self expression with both feet, what else would I do?

Stand in my own way?

For too long I have been making excuses of not having the time or resources.

Focusing on other things that paid the bills.

Lack of self confidence in telling yourself you can.

Being afraid of the way you would be perceived or accepted by putting yourself out there.

Or just not going for it.

For too long I have let things stand in the way of going after what I love.

But those days are over.

And as a dad, I can't tell my kids to go after their dreams and they can be anything they want if I don't live my life the same way.

The Passion

I have often said, if I could redo things and go back to create a new path for myself. Make new choices. I would have pursued a career in acting or entertainment.

Something with some form of creative self expression.

Afterall, in highschool I was in every school play I could be in.

Being on stage and performing was a rush. I could not get enough. I loved it.

But when I left highschool I convinced myself that I had to start hustling and working.

I am not sure why, but I convinced myself there was no future in acting or performing. There was no money in it. That I was not good enough to be paid because only a infinitesimally small percentage of actors get paid.

I was convinced I could not make a living on stage.

The Ordinary Dad is Born

Now I find myself with the opportunity to come back to something that I truly love.

Art. Creativity. Self expression.

Just in a completely different way.

None of us that went to highschool in the late 90's, early 00's would of known the way media would change. And how we consume entertainment would be through TikTok, or YouTube and Facebook let alone taking time to read blogs.

Where social media has made one of the biggest impacts, in my opinion, is removing the barriers for everyday people to doing the things they love.

Whether that be money, connections, access or geography, the world we live in now is a beautiful place for dreamers.

And now, I am taking my chance.

Now, I have played in the content game in the past, but this time I am taking it more seriously and really investing in it. Not just time, or money, but focus. If you want something, go for it.

Put in the work and don't let anything stand in your way. I tell my kids, the difference between someone successful and someone who fails its perseverance.

A winner just never stops.

But motivational speeches aside I am just here to speak and to be heard.

I hope you enjoy the ride.

I am just The Ordinary Dad.