The William Hocking Podcast

A Mile and a Half to School at Five: What Kids Lost When Parents Got Scared with Dave Stutzman

William Hocking — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Bill's mom let him walk a mile and a half to school by himself at five years old. His six-year-old sister joined him a year later. No one called the police. No one called it neglect. That was 1960s Chillum, Maryland, and that was just how kids got to school.

In this episode of The William Hocking Podcast, William Hocking sits down with his closest friend of fifty-three years, Dave Stutzman, for a conversation about kids. The childhood they shared in 1960s Maryland looks nothing like childhood today, and they spend the hour trying to figure out what changed.

Bill and Dave both came up in a world where parents said, "Be home for dinner," and meant it. They get into why parents today seem so much more afraid, even though Bill's local police told him the statistics on child safety have not actually changed much in fifty years. What has changed is the fear, not the danger.

They talk about the phone as a parenting crutch and what it does to a kid who never has to figure out how to be bored. They get into the participation trophy generation and why letting a kid fall might be one of the most loving things a parent can do. And Dave, who never had kids of his own, makes the case that he still has every right to an opinion on how this generation is being raised.

Tune in to hear what two old friends from Maryland think kids today are missing and why.

Chapters:
🎙️ 01:55 For a podcast just like this one reach out to www.podcastsmatter.com

👋 02:46 Why Dave is back: this time the conversation is about kids

🚸 05:03 How not to sound like every other complaining generation

🚶 09:02 A mile and a half to school in 1960s Chillum, and the village that watched

📚 13:57 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org

😨 15:40 What the local police actually told Bill about child safety

📱 23:32 The phone as a parenting crutch

📖 25:33 Bicycle, frisbee, book, kit: what a kid could do before the tablet

🌟 30:25 If you are a leader or changemaker looking for support, check out www.geniusdiscovery.org

🛡️ 32:33 Helicopter parents and the kids who never get to fall

🏆 34:43 Equal opportunity is not the same as equal outcome

🎧 43:30 Find more podcasts that matter at www.podcaststhatmatter.org

Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dave-stutzman-3b272116
Connect with Dave Stutzman on LinkedIn to continue this conversation.

Connect with Bill: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-hocking-35165b
Publish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.org
Start a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.com
Go from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.org

Au revoir!

Three Friends, a Recruiting Station, and Twenty Two Years in Uniform: What Vinny Rojo Learned About the Guy Next to You

William Hocking — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

William Hocking sits down with his wife’s (Maria) uncle Vinny Rojo, an Air Force veteran of twenty two years, for a conversation about discipline, respect, and why the guy standing next to you might be the most important person in your life.

Vinny did not plan to enlist. He and two buddies were walking past a recruiting station at Borough Hall in Brooklyn when one of them said, let's go in and see what happens. The Air Force turned Vinny down that day. He rode along with his friend to Whitehall Street anyway, raised his right hand, and became the first of the three to serve.

He stayed in for twenty two years and came home a disabled veteran. In this episode he tells Bill what the Air Force actually taught him, not the version you read in a training manual but the real one. Why discipline is not about yelling. Why respect is something you show everyone, not just yourself. Why the guy standing next to you might be the whole point of the whole thing.

Bill grew up in the Vietnam era but never wore the uniform, and he says so. This conversation is his attempt to understand what he missed. Pull up a chair.

Tune in to hear what a lifetime of living and twenty two years in the Air Force taught Vinny Rojo about showing up for the person beside you.

Chapters:
🎙️ 00:17 For more podcasts like this, check out www.podcastsmatter.com.

👋 01:56 Meet Vinny Rojo

🇪🇸 02:55 Named after a general in Spain

✈️ 03:15 Twenty two years of service and a lot of good people

🤝 06:01 The guy next to you is the one whose life you trust

💪 09:02 You feel invincible until the service teaches you otherwise

📖 10:20 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org

🙏 10:23 Respect is something you show everyone, not just yourself

🎖️ 11:05 No regrets and a family that served

🏙️ 13:11 Three friends, a recruiting station, and a walk to Whitehall Street

✌️ 15:06 Don't look down unless you drop something

Au revoir!

Two Books, a Frisbee, and Fifty Two Years: What Friendship Really Takes with Dave Stutzman

William Hocking — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

William Hocking and his closest friend of fifty two years, Dave Stutzman, kick off The William Hocking Podcast with a conversation about friendship and what it actually takes to keep one alive for half a century.

In this debut episode of The William Hocking Podcast, William welcomes Dave for a candid, unscripted conversation about why he thinks friendship is the whole point.

They met in August 1973 at the University of Maryland. The story involves a tie dyed shirt, a Fu Manchu mustache, and a Frisbee that nearly took Bill's head off. They have been talking almost every day since.

Fifty two years of friendship does not happen by accident. Bill and Dave get into what keeps it going and what almost broke it. They talk about why they never let a disagreement end something that took decades to build.

Tune in to hear what two guys from Maryland learned about loyalty and showing up over fifty two years of friendship.

Chapters:
🎙️ 00:17 For a podcast just like this one reach out to www.podcastsmatter.com or find more at www.podcaststhatmatter.org
👋 00:47 Meet Dave Stutzman: fifty two years and counting
🎓 03:39 Silver Spring, Laurel, and a fateful Monday at the University of Maryland
👕 07:59 Tie dyed shirt, Fu Manchu mustache, two books, and a Frisbee that almost hit Bill in the head
📚 11:56 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org
💪 14:50 Why friendships take real work and why most people stop doing it
🤝 16:28 Disagreements that went too far and why they came back anyway
🌟 18:07 If you are a leader or changemaker looking for support, check out www.geniusdiscovery.org
🏛️ 19:50 Politics and friendship: knowing when to table it
😂 23:50 The NAD day: No Abuse Day and why it does not always work
🙏 25:19 Fifty two years of showing up and what comes next
🎧 28:29 Find more podcasts that matter at www.podcaststhatmatter.org

Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dave-stutzman-3b272116
Connect with Dave Stutzman on LinkedIn. He may not have had a class that morning in 1973, but fifty two years later he is still showing up.

Au revoir!