For CEO Dads building businesses with young families at home
a new book by mario minnaert

This book was
NOT WRITTEN FOR EVERYONE.
It was written for
ONE SPECIFIC MAN.

He runs a business. He has young kids at home. He has a wife holding down more than he realizes. He works hard, genuinely hard, and still feels like he's always behind. He loves his family deeply, and feels guilty that the business keeps stealing the best version of him before he gets home.

If that's you, this book was written for you.

Get the book + bonuses · $19.99 Save $27 · Limited time

Backed by a 30-day "Engineer the System" guarantee

A book for CEO dads
Work-Life
Engineering
A 5-phase operating system to grow a business without losing your family.
By Mario Minnaert
used by the ceo dad community
80+
CEO dads running the system
96
Pages, 3 parts, 5 chapters of system
10+ hrs
Clients average back in their week
60-90
Days to measurable change
who this book is for

His name might be Greg.
Or Tommy. Or Roger. Or it might be yours.

If you're holding this book, you've probably already tried the alternatives.

You've tried waking up earlier. You've tried hustle culture, the 4am alarms, the cold plunges, the 75 Hard challenges. You've bought the productivity app. You've read the business books. You've downloaded the gratitude journal. You've had the conversation with your wife about needing to be more present, and then gone right back to checking your phone at dinner.

None of it stuck.

Not because you're undisciplined. Not because you don't care enough. But because every one of those solutions was designed for a different person living a different life.

Here's the thing most productivity gurus and business coaches will never tell you: it's WORTHLESS to take advice from someone who doesn't have kids. The systems built for a 25-year-old with no dependents and 16 hours a day to pour into a goal don't work when you have a two-year-old who decided 5:45am is morning, a business that needs you, a marriage that needs attention, and a body that needs sleep.

This book was BUILT FOR YOUR LIFE. Not a generic version of it.

what is work-life engineering

Work-life balance is a myth. Work-Life Engineering is the system.

You cannot divide your life in half and call it good. Some weeks the business needs 60 hours. Some weeks it needs 20. Some seasons require everything you have.

Trying to maintain artificial equilibrium in a world that's inherently dynamic doesn't create peace. It creates CONSTANT GUILT.

Work-Life Engineering is different. It's not about dividing your time equally. It's about DESIGNING YOUR LIFE with the same intentionality you'd bring to designing a system. You identify the inputs, you optimize the throughputs, you measure the outputs, and when something isn't working, you don't grind harder. You engineer differently.

The result isn't balance. It's HARMONY. Two complementary things, your business and your family, operating in rhythm with each other.

The Work-Life Engineering framework: Energy, Identity, Time, Business, Family orbiting You
Work-Life Engineering™
the 5 phases

Five chapters. One sequence that actually works.

Each phase earns the right to the next. You don't fix Family Leadership when your Energy is gone. You don't engineer Time when your Identity is reactive. The order matters. The book takes you through them, one at a time.

1
Chapter 5
Energy

Builds the physical, mental, and emotional capacity required to lead consistently, so your performance isn't dependent on motivation, willpower, or adrenaline.

2
Chapter 6
Identity

Aligns your beliefs, self-talk, and standards with the leader you're becoming, so decisions are driven by intention instead of self-sabotage.

3
Chapter 7
Time

Creates structure and rhythm in your week, so priorities turn into execution without overwhelm, chaos, or constant catch-up.

4
Chapter 8
Business

Clarifies direction and focus, so your effort is concentrated on the few actions that actually move the business forward.

5
Chapter 9
Family Leadership

Establishes presence, rhythms, and standards at home, so success at work doesn't come at the expense of the people who matter most.

Miss one phase and the WHOLE SYSTEM underperforms. That's why the book takes you through all five in sequence.

the two paths

You already know which one you're on right now.

Without the system
The grinding dad
  • Wakes up with a vague sense of dread before his feet hit the floor
  • Feels guilty checking his phone at dinner, then does it again tomorrow
  • Tries 4am alarms, cold plunges, 75 Hard, the latest productivity app, none of it sticks
  • Knows what to do but can't seem to do it consistently
  • Hits revenue goals and still feels like he's failing
  • "Holding it together" while his wife holds down more than he realizes
  • Loves his family deeply, but they don't get the best version of him
  • Believes the only way out is grinding harder
With Work-Life Engineering
The engineered dad
  • Wakes up clear on the man he's becoming today, not who he was yesterday
  • Phone is down when the kids are up. Boundaries are engineered, not negotiated
  • Has 1 system instead of 17 random tactics, daily habits installed by sequence
  • Closes the gap between knowing and doing through identity work
  • Hits revenue goals with energy left for the people he came home to
  • His wife is a partner, not a buffer for what he can't carry alone
  • Present when present, focused when focused, calm under pressure
  • Operates from a system that compounds, in any season

The book is the BRIDGE. It takes you from the left side to the right side, one phase at a time.

Mario Minnaert with his wife and three daughters
Husband · Father of 3 · 2x Ironman · Author
Mario Minnaert
From the desk of
Mario Minnaert
North Liberty, Iowa
why i wrote this book

I wrote this because the version of me drowning in 2023 needed it, and it didn't exist.

Dear CEO Dad,

For ten years I worked at an EdTech startup. I joined when there were under ten employees. I helped grow it to fifty, build it to a $40M valuation. I was a certified mental performance coach, trained under a guy who works with MLB players and Olympians. I'd done 2 Ironmans. A 50k. A 50-mile and a 100-mile ultramarathon. By every external measure, I was winning.

And in 2023, the stress was so bad that I developed an AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE that broke out as a rash all over my body.

I had a wife I loved. Three girls under six. A career most people would have killed for. And every morning I woke up with a vague sense of dread before my feet hit the floor.

I tried the things you've tried. The 4am alarms. The cold plunges. The productivity app of the week. The 75 Hard. The journaling. None of it worked, because NONE OF IT WAS DESIGNED FOR MY LIFE. The systems built for a 25-year-old with no kids don't survive contact with a two-year-old who decided 5:45am is morning.

So I built a system that actually fit.

I called it Work-Life Engineering. Five phases, in sequence. Energy. Identity. Time. Business. Family Leadership. Each one earning the right to the next. I tested it on myself first. Then I tested it with my coaching clients. Over a hundred dads, across the country and around the world. The results weren't subtle. Marriages reset. Revenue numbers hit. Health restored. Time back. Guilt gone.

And then I wrote it all down, the entire system, every framework, every Engineer's Prompt, every story, every diagnostic. So you don't have to figure it out alone.

I didn't write this book to sell you something. I wrote it because the version of me that was drowning in 2023, covered in a stress rash, isolated, grinding without traction, needed this book and it didn't exist. So I built the system. Lived it. Tested it with hundreds of men. And now I'm handing it to you.

You don't have to engineer this life alone.

Read it. Do the prompts. Take the diagnostic. Become the man your family is hoping you'll be.

Stay Driven.

- Mario

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3

A book for CEO dads
Work-Life
Engineering
A 5-phase operating system to grow a business without losing your family.
By Mario Minnaert
96 Pages · 3 Parts · 10 Chapters
Instant PDF download · Audiobook coming soon
what's inside

Here's what you'll discover inside.

Why WORK-LIFE BALANCE is a myth, and why "Work-Life Engineering" is the system that actually fits a CEO dad's life Pg 1
The 20-question WORK-LIFE DIAGNOSTIC that reveals exactly which phase is bleeding the most energy from your life Pg 20
The ENERGY PROTOCOL, the daily habits and routines that restore the capacity to lead consistently (no motivation required) Ch 5
How to spot the "JUDGE," the internal voice running your day from behind the scenes, and how to install a new identity that aligns with the leader you're becoming Ch 6
The WEEKLY RHYTHM FRAMEWORK that turns your priority list into actual execution, without overwhelm, chaos, or constant catch-up Ch 7
How to CLARIFY BUSINESS DIRECTION in a single page so you stop spending energy on things that don't move the needle Ch 8
The PRESENCE + BOUNDARIES exercise that turns "I'm trying to be more present" into measurable rhythms your wife will feel within a week Ch 9
The FAMILY RHYTHM DESIGN TOOL, one weekly cadence you install that makes you the leader at home you've always meant to be Ch 9
Why ALL FIVE PHASES have to work together, and what happens when you try to skip ahead (most CEO dads fail here) Ch 10
The ENGINEER'S PROMPT at the end of every chapter, the moment where the reading becomes real and the system gets installed Every Ch
The 262-MILE ULTRA-TRIATHLON STORY and what it taught me about why you can't engineer this life alone Ch 10
What WORK-LIFE HARMONY actually feels like, and the proof, from real clients, that it's possible inside 90 days Pt 3
everything you're getting

The book, plus 2 bonuses to make sure you actually install the system.

Included
The Book

96 pages. 3 parts. 10 chapters. The full Work-Life Engineering system in your own words, with frameworks, real client stories, and an Engineer's Prompt at the end of every chapter. Instant PDF download, read on any device.

Real value $47
Free Bonus #1
The Work-Life Diagnostic

A 5-minute, 20-question diagnostic that scores you across all 5 phases. You'll know within minutes exactly where to start, and you can retake it in 90 days to see the change.

Real value $49
Free Bonus #2
The Audiobook

Listen on your commute, at the gym, or on the school run. Narrated by Mario himself, the full 96 pages in audio form. Coming soon, included free for early buyers.

Real value $29
Total real value
$125
Today, for everything
$19.99
30
Day · Money
Back · Guarantee
the "engineer the system" guarantee

If the system doesn't change how you operate, I'll refund you in full.

Read the book. Take the diagnostic. Try the first phase. If within 30 days you don't feel like you have a clearer system for your work and your family than you had when you started, just email me at mario@drivendadpreneur.com and I'll refund every cent. You get to KEEP the book and all the bonuses.

Zero risk. The only way you lose is by staying where you are.

get your copy today

Get the book, plus everything else.

Normally $47
$19.99
Save $27 · One-time payment · No subscription
Today you get
  • Work-Life Engineering, the full 96-page book (PDF) ($47 value)
  • The Work-Life Diagnostic, 5-min, 20-question score across all 5 phases ($49 value)
  • The Audiobook, coming soon, included free for early buyers ($29 value)
  • 30-day money-back guarantee, keep the book either way
Get my copy now · $19.99

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You're not buying a book. You're buying back hours of your week, peace at dinner, and the man your family was hoping you'd be.

honest answers

Questions you're about to ask.

I'm not really a "book guy." Will I actually read it? +

96 pages, designed to be read in under 4 hours total, less if you read fast. The chapters are short on purpose. Every one ends with an Engineer's Prompt that takes 5 minutes. You don't need to "read more"; you need to read the right thing once and actually do the work. That's how this book is built.

Is this for me if I'm a solo entrepreneur vs. running a team? +

Yes, either way. The book is designed for any business owner with young kids at home, whether you're solo, a freelancer scaling, or running a team of 50. The 5 phases scale with you. The specifics in the Business chapter will land differently depending on your stage, but the underlying frameworks apply across the board.

What if I don't have young kids yet or my kids are older? +

The book was written for dads with kids under 12, because that's the season I'm in and the season most of my coaching clients are in. If your kids are older, the Energy, Identity, Time, and Business chapters still apply. The Family Leadership chapter will need some translation, but the principles hold. If you don't have kids yet and you're planning to, this book will probably save you a couple years of figuring it out the hard way.

How is this different from Driven OS or your coaching program? +

The book is the framework. Driven OS is the software that runs it day to day on your phone. The Driven Dadpreneur Accelerator is the 4-month coaching program where I personally walk you through implementing all 5 phases with a group of CEO dads. You can absolutely just read the book and run the system yourself. Many guys do. The Accelerator is for the dad who wants the system installed faster, with accountability and a brotherhood.

When does the audiobook come out? +

I'm recording it now. Every early buyer gets the audiobook free the moment it ships. You'll get an email with the download link as soon as it's ready. No additional payment, no upsell.

What if it doesn't work for me? +

Email me at mario@drivendadpreneur.com within 30 days and I'll refund every cent. You keep the book, the diagnostic, and the audiobook when it ships. I'd rather you get your money back than feel like you wasted it.

Is this a faith-based book? +

I'm a Christian and my faith shows up in the book honestly. There's a Proverbs verse in the opening. There's an acknowledgement of God's role in my life. But the system itself works whether or not you share my faith. The frameworks are practical, the diagnostic is data-driven, and the implementation is concrete. Several of my coaching clients are not believers and the system still works for them.

Have a question that's not on here? +

DM me on Instagram at @mario.minnaert. I read every message. No setters, no closers, just me.

one last thing

You don't have to
ENGINEER THIS LIFE ALONE.

The system exists. The book is written. The diagnostic is built. The audiobook is coming. The brotherhood of CEO dads doing this work is already running. All you have to do is pick up the book.

Instant access · 30-day guarantee · Audiobook free when it ships

Stay Driven.
- Mario