Building Brotherhood and Striding Through Fatherhood: Najee Ladd-Ali Celebrates One Year of the Daddy Stroller Social Club
On a recent appearance on The Day With Trae, host Trae Holiday welcomed Najee Ladd-Ali, the co-founder of the Daddy Stroller Social Club Seattle, to discuss the organization's upcoming one-year anniversary. Joined on set by his young daughter, Ladd-Ali shared the impact the club has made on local fathers over the past year and detailed the massive upcoming celebration planned for the community.
"Daddy Stroller Club is all about postpartum for men and us having…a brotherhood for us to come together to have a voice and not be afraid to express how we feel," Ladd-Ali said.
Over the last 12 months, the club has hosted monthly meetups across various locations, including parks, gyms, and museums. The group utilizes a unique framework centered around movement and connection, a concept they refer to as "striding.” Whether walking around Seattle’s Green Lake or gathering for a specialized session, the physical movement is paired with guided questions to prompt meaningful dialogue among attendees.
"What we do is we stride," Ladd-Ali said. "We are fathers who are striding when we meet together and doing these walks. We're walking and talking. We're walking and communing. It's kind of like a form of discipleship in a way through fatherhood as well.”
Ladd-Ali discussed how rare safe spaces are for men to practice emotional vulnerability, noting that societal expectations often force men to internalize their struggles. He described how the club actively helps fathers cultivate emotional intelligence to better navigate family life and business strategies.
"In general, in terms of men growing up as men, we're not really taught to express ourselves, express our emotions, express how we feel," Ladd-Ali said. "We're taught to just be tough... but also we need to have a balance... knowing how to love, knowing how to express yourself, knowing how to have the emotional intelligence".
The response from the Seattle community has been overwhelmingly positive, drawing in young fathers, grandfathers, and men from surrounding areas like Tacoma, Washington. Ladd-Ali highlighted that the club is entirely inclusive, welcoming fathers of all backgrounds and races.
"This is also about the whole family coming, not just the father; your grandma, your uncle, your auntie, your cousin, everybody, because everybody's going to be able to experience," Ladd-Ali said.
Learn more about Daddy Stroller Social Club Seattle and other chapters at daddystrollersocialclub.com
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