“Fellow men: I pray that you all get to feel this kind of love,” stated Alexis Ohanian once on an IG post with his daughters, Olympia and Adira. Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian tied the knot in 2017. After the birth of their first daughter, Olympia, in September 2017, their younger daughter Adira River Ohanian was born in August 2023. Since then, the lives of the stars have also changed with the embracing of parenthood. While the mother’s efforts to balance work-life and family are often in the spotlight, Alexis emphasizes the father’s perspective. So what did the emotional Reddit co-founder say about the often-overlooked side?

Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian shared a heartfelt reflection on how fatherhood changed his perspective on life and career. In a podcast episode produced by Vice, which aired originally on March 5, 2020, Ohanian discussed the shift in his priorities after becoming a father. During the episode, Ohanian revisited some memories, including the parenting advice from his own parents and his connection to his Armenian-American heritage.

One of the moments that stood out during the conversation was when Ohanian spoke with his daughter. He asked her, “Hi, buddy. Did you do the homework?” She answered, “I don’t have homework.” Ohanian then responded, “You have no homework” Calling it a good feeling, this lighthearted exchange highlighted the joy he found in simple moments with his daughter.

As the conversation continued, Ohanian explained how his experience as a father had changed his life. He shared candidly on the podcast, “The sweet spot here was, let me talk to a bunch of dads. Stop doing this and say whatever. You just hear them talk about Dad life. Try to balance that with career. Because we never get asked this stuff. It’s always moms who get asked, what, how do you manage to balance between blah, blah, blah, and it’s like, dad’s like, we’re making an effort out here too.” He emphasized how fathers don’t get the same attention for their efforts in balancing family and career. But a reflective Ohanian had more to share.

Fatherhood had an emotional effect on Ohanian’s view of his priorities. He admitted, “I know I always cared about my career so much, but then having the first, I don’t know what’s like after four, but having the first was I was a life changer. I was like, damn, I can no longer be this selfish.” The arrival of his first child marked a transforming moment in his life and made him reconsider his focus on career above all else.

Ohanian also discussed the experience of witnessing childbirth. He described, “Tell me if this happened to you, because when he was born, it was like, I like, I literally, like, we have, like, the little baby book with, like, the pre, like pregnancy photos and all that stuff, and like, labor and like, delivery and all that stuff. And when he was born, and I’m like, he was crowning, and I just saw the hair, and I’m like, holding one knee, the nurse was holding the other knee. And I was just like, I was just like, I was just like, in controllable.” This emotional recollection revealed, how deeply fatherhood moved him leaving him overwhelmed with emotion during such an important moment in his life. Ohanian’s words serve as a reminder of the transformations that parenthood can bring, and can change their entire outlook on life and what truly matters.

Alexis Ohanian opens up about an emotional moment of saying goodbye to Olympia

Alexis Ohanian shared another emotional moment on his Business Dad podcast, discussing the struggles of being away from his two daughters, Olympia and Adira River. As an entrepreneur with a busy schedule, Ohanian often faces the bittersweet experience of saying goodbye to his daughters before heading to work. In the latest podcast episode, Ohanian spoke with Parker Conrad, the CEO of Rippling, about the challenges of balancing his career and fatherhood.

During the conversation, Ohanian recalled a goodbye with his daughter Olympia that stood out to him. “It was the first goodbye hug. I really think she could process, like, oh, dad’s gonna be gone for a little bit. And I was feeling it, and I know she was feeling my energy, and it was like an extra hug. And I was like, God, this sucks,” he said. Olympia’s long hug showed that she understood he would be gone for a while, making the moment even more emotional for both of them. He expressed how difficult it was to leave, as he could feel his daughter’s emotions. This candid moment from Ohanian highlights the universal struggle many working parents face, especially fathers who often feel the impact of being away from their children.