The People Who Showed Up for Mike Garcia Helped Shape the Father He Became

BrotherLee Time Episode #96 | Guest: Mike Garcia | Format: Reflective Feature

When Mike Garcia talks about becoming a father, he does not point to one person or one lesson. In his conversation on BrotherLee Time Podcast, EP 96, he describes a family history shaped by his mother, his older brother, and the coaches who guided him growing up in Kahuku. He also talks about the kind of father he tries to be for his own children.

Mike says he was raised primarily by his mother, while his father was around less than he would have liked. He is careful not to describe his father as absent from his life. At one point, he says his dad has been supportive. But the gap he felt growing up mattered to how he imagined fatherhood for himself.

“Being raised with just my mom, it made me wanna be that much more of a better father,” he said. The idea becomes concrete when he describes his children. He tries to attend their sports activities, coach them, take them to practice and games, and be there when they are crying or sad. “My kids is my everything,” he said.

The Brother Who Showed Up

Mike’s older brother Chad was six years older. Mike says Chad encouraged him to play sports, including football and wrestling, and taught him not to worry so much about what other people thought. Chad was also the person who made him laugh. Mike remembers him as someone who could turn an ordinary moment into something funny, without having to tell a polished joke.

When Taisei Lee asked whether Chad had taken on a father-figure role, Mike agreed: “He was my father figure.” He also wondered aloud whether his brother had understood that their father was not around as much, or had simply taken that role on himself. Mike does not settle that question. What he does make clear is that Chad was there for him.

Chad later passed away, and Mike described the loss as one of the hardest things he had experienced. Before going on stage, Mike says he prays and asks his brother for guidance. “Chad, if you see me, hear me, guide me,” he said. He believes his brother is with him. In this part of the conversation, the connection between them is not only about who raised whom. It is also about the way Mike continues to carry his brother’s presence into his work and daily life.

Guidance in Kahuku

There were other people who helped shape Mike. He grew up in Kahuku and played sports, where he found guidance from football and wrestling coaches. He said the community’s family values were hard to beat, and described people looking out for one another, even in a close-knit place where disagreements could happen. When the hosts talked about coaches becoming father figures, Mike agreed that they had been important in his life.

The episode treats that kind of guidance as something built through repeated contact. Practices and games create chances for adults to encourage a child, teach a skill, and offer direction. Mike named several people from his years in sports and took time to thank the coaches and mentors who helped him. He did not describe them as replacements for his family. They were part of the wider circle that showed up.

Mike Garcia on Fatherhood

Taisei also recalled a brief encounter at a Walmart in Mililani, before the podcast was recorded. He remembered Mike stopping to talk while his daughters were with him, then pausing to make sure the girls stayed at the center of his attention. Taisei said that small moment had stayed with him. Mike thanked him for bringing it up and said it meant a lot.

That memory gives the conversation a useful everyday scale. Mike’s reflections on fatherhood are not only about a big promise to do better than the generation before him. They also appear in the small decisions Taisei noticed: making time for a child in the middle of another conversation, showing up at a game, or sitting with a child who is sad.

Mike speaks about his son with the same care. He says he talks with him about helping classmates, not following someone else into trouble, and trying to be happy with people. He was proud when he recounted that his son’s principal had told him the boy was a good kid. Mike says the comment moved him. He takes pride in his son’s character, not only in the things he does on stage or on camera.

None of this makes Mike’s account a universal instruction manual for parenting. It is one person’s account of what he received and what he hopes to give. His mother raised him. His brother encouraged him and made him laugh. Coaches offered guidance through sports. Now, as a father, Mike describes trying to be present for the ordinary moments his children will remember.

Watch the Full Conversation

This story only touches one part of a much larger conversation.

Watch or listen to Mike Garcia’s full conversation with Kenji and Taisei on BrotherLee Time Podcast, EP 96.

Watch the full episode on the BrotherLee Time YouTube channel. You can also find BrotherLee Time on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and support the podcast on Patreon.

Leeward born. Globally felt.

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Episode source note: BrotherLee Time Podcast, Mike Garcia, also known as Island Magic Mike, EP 96.

Accuracy Note

This piece is adapted from the episode conversation; specific facts, names, dates, figures, and events mentioned by speakers may require independent verification.