Episode 152 · September 3, 2024
Lynn Hernandez: Rocking the Dad Life
with Lynn Hernandez, Radio DJ, host of the Tulsa Rocks podcast, and 'Dad's Rock' blogger for Tulsa Kids
42 min
Lynn Hernandez: Rocking the Dad Life
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In this episode
In this episode I sit down with Lynn Hernandez — longtime Tulsa radio DJ, the "unofficial mayor of Rocklahoma," host of the Tulsa Rocks podcast, and the writer behind the "Dad's Rock" blog for Tulsa Kids. We actually circled back to Lynn ten years after Tulsa Kids first profiled him, and so much has shifted: he's navigated a career pivot, lost both of his parents, and kept showing up as a present, single dad to his two kids.
Lynn and I talk about the moment a Rush concert T-shirt in a college Psych 101 class accidentally launched his whole radio career, and how losing his job of fifteen years during the pandemic became the seed for something new. We get raw about the real work of single parenting — the joy of catching your 14-year-old holding hands at the mall, and the hard reality of contentious co-parenting and finding the right school for a son who reminded him so much of himself.
What I love most is how Lynn turned a layoff into a calling. He took everything he'd learned in radio and built Tulsa Rocks into a vehicle for giving back — raising funds for first responders, small businesses, and the music community he loves. This one is for any parent in the thick of it, anyone facing a career setback, and anyone wondering if their God-given gifts and talents can become a whole new chapter. Keep going.
Key takeaways
- Don't burn bridges — and build new ones. In a small, transient industry, the boss, coworker, or contact you have today may be the door you walk through years later.
- A career setback can become a launchpad. After being let go during the pandemic, Lynn turned his public-affairs experience and contacts into the Tulsa Rocks podcast.
- Ask for advice without shame. Especially for new parents (and dads who think they should figure it out alone), reaching out to therapists, health departments, and resources is a strength, not a weakness.
- Sometimes the best thing you can do is change the environment. Moving his son to a new school district — with support from the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations — gave him the foundation he needed to settle and focus.
- Bring your kids along to give back. Lynn takes his children to fundraisers the way his own dad once took him, planting seeds of community they'll appreciate later.
- LinkedIn is an underrated networking tool, not just a job board — you can reach out to peers across the country and build real relationships, and a small pro investment unlocks deeper data.
- Lean into what you actually love and have a passion for. At 58, Lynn isn't reinventing himself — he's expanding the work that fits his gifts across radio, podcast, blog, and TV.
Chapters
- 00:00Reach out for advice — a word for new parents
- 00:30Welcome and a note about Conversations with Passion and Purpose live events
- 03:00Meet Lynn Hernandez: a Rush T-shirt and the accidental start of a radio career
- 07:00What's changed in ten years: the pandemic, a layoff, and a new station
- 10:00Don't burn bridges — lessons from a small, transient industry
- 12:00Life as a single dad: Atticus, Angel, and the joys
- 16:00The hard parts: co-parenting and finding the right school
- 20:00Regrets, doing your best, and raising kids who give back
- 24:00Starting the Tulsa Rocks podcast and giving back to the community
- 28:00Rocklahoma, rock stars, and being a dad in the rock world
- 32:00Career wisdom: networking and the power of LinkedIn
- 35:00Grow more in 2024: expanding radio, podcast, blog, and TV
- 40:00Favorite bands, interviewing Rush, and the wrap-up
“Any parent listening to this, especially if you're a new parent and you're going through struggles, reach out for advice. Do not be afraid to ask for advice.”
“Don't just burn a current existing bridge, but get out there and don't be afraid to email somebody in your same position halfway across the country.”
“I'm not going to reinvent myself at 58 years old. This is just what I've always done. It's what I enjoy. It's what I have a passion for.”
“My podcast is called Tulsa Rocks because I support and raise funds for all things that make Tulsa rock, whether it's music or first responders or small businesses.”
About Lynn
Radio DJ, host of the Tulsa Rocks podcast, and 'Dad's Rock' blogger for Tulsa Kids
Lynn Hernandez is a longtime Tulsa radio DJ who got his start in college radio in 1988. After fifteen years at a Tulsa station and a pandemic-era layoff, he launched the Tulsa Rocks podcast to raise funds for the music community, first responders, and small businesses. Known as the 'unofficial mayor of Rocklahoma,' he also writes the 'Dad's Rock' blog for Tulsa Kids and is a proud single dad to son Atticus and daughter Angel.
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