Interested in an having me as a guest or doing interview? Drop me a line.

    I’ve been able to speak to various media outlets recently as a parent, tech expert, and startup founder. This is a collection of a few of the more interesting ones I’d like to share. It is always a pleasure to chat with new people and this is one of the ways I get to do it.

    WSJ: “Amazon Is Now Charging Prime Members Extra for Ad-Free Streaming. For Some, That’s a Deal Breaker.”
    Jan 29, 2024

    Any amount of advertising is a no-no to many. “If I have to watch ads, I shouldn’t have to pay for my entertainment,” said Joel Gratcyk, a 42-year-old digital consultant from Chicago—a lesson he said he learned from all those years watching Netflix. He decided not to renew his Prime subscription when he found out about the new ad-supported Prime Video. .

    Read More: https://www.wsj.com/business/media/amazon-is-now-charging-prime-members-extra-for-ad-free-streaming-for-some-thats-a-deal-breaker-068d4896

    Yahoo! Life: “Men can also experience postpartum depression. Dads share what it’s like.”
    Nov 9, 2023

    I shared about my experience with postpartum depression & migraine with Billy Kilgore on Yahoo! Life.

    ‘I remember crying in my car after work one day.’

    Joel Gratcyk, a father in the Chicago suburbs, noticed symptoms a few months after the birth of his first child. He experienced a loss of appetite, irritability and difficulty focusing. “It was a strain on my job at the time and they weren’t very understanding about me having a kid,” he tells Yahoo Life. “I remember crying in my car after work one day. My wife was on a trip, and I had the kiddo with me, and I was just overwhelmed and felt helpless. I was able to pull myself together, get home and make it through the night. That’s when I knew I needed to get help.”

    Read More: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/postpartum-depression-in-men-dads-205514226.html

    WBEZ: “Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons”
    Aug 14, 2023

    After a summer of staying up late and sleeping in, it can be hard for parents to get their kids back to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise sleep routine in time for the start of school. But getting the right amount of shut-eye is essential for the health and well-being of your child, and August is the time to buckle down.

    Reset talks bedtime routines and getting enough sleep with a pediatric sleep specialist and a parent blogger in preparation for the upcoming school year.

    Guests:

    Allison Clarke, pediatric psychologist
    Joel Gratcyk, parenting blogger

    Read More: https://www.wbez.org/stories/summer-vacation-is-over-how-to-get-kids-back-on-the-schooltime-sleep-routine/db66f905-ae91-4cf6-8f36-813d540ea156

    Business Insider
    Aug 8, 2023

    This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Joel Gratcyk, a 41-year-old freelancer and stay-at-home dad in Illinois. 

    • Joel Gratcyk’s son Wesley spends a few hours a week learning to code in Python, PHP, and Swift.
    • Wesley started taking free courses when he was 7 and uses both online and library resources.
    • Gratcyk said that whether or not Wesley goes into coding, he’ll have an advantage in his career.

    Read More: https://www.businessinsider.com/10-year-old-spends-hours-week-coding-python-php-swift-2023-8