F*CK'N AUTHENTIC

What We've Lost and What We've Learned

Nancy and I wanted to come on to explain some changes we're making to the show's format going forward. We feel like we lost some of our mojo over the past few years and want to regain our power by telling our full story, from the beginning up until now. There will still be amazing guests, but we also want to share the ups, downs, laughs and tears from our relationship and family. We hope it inspires others going through tough times. Episode Highlights: [00:07] Poking fun at Nancy's sick voice and a surprising squirrel visit. [02:05] Podcast format change announcement. [02:43] Recently feeling like we lost some of our power and value after traumatic events. [04:48] Share our goal to tell our full story to inspire others who are feeling stuck. [06:26] Describe feeling trapped in sadness before realizing our power never left. [07:44] Discuss learning to accept and adjust to loss. [09:23] Promise to still have amazing guests on sharing success and failures. [10:00] Nancy jokes about wanting to get over her cold before recording. If this episode resonated with you, please rate, follow, share, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find this podcast and know they're not alone. Until next time!

The Power of Forgiveness and Letting Go

I had an enlightening talk with Bree about the importance of forgiveness in healing and moving forward. We discussed the freedom that comes with forgiving those who have hurt you, even if they can’t reciprocate. Bree shared her journey with an abusive mom and how becoming a parent herself opened the door to forgiveness. We explored how forgiveness is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.   Episode Highlights: [02:14] The weight lifted after forgiving an abusive mom. [05:20] Did her mom understand the damage she caused? [06:16] Bree’s mom's excuses for her behavior. [07:22] Reaching out to my absentee dad for forgiveness. [08:30] Getting sent away after acting out as a teen. [10:26] Why do the hurt ones extend forgiveness? [12:39] Acting out for attention from Bree’s dad. [14:42] Barely finishing high school amidst the chaos. [16:02] Moving to Colorado with Bree’s new husband. [18:30] Having a colicky newborn with no support system. [20:17] Finding jobs quickly out of necessity. [22:35] Struggling mentally amidst becoming a new mom. [24:00] The value of going through hard times together. [25:39] Recognizing the cycle repeating. [27:10] The need for continuous forgiveness in marriage. [29:39] Wanting kids to know the good in their Grandma. [33:08] Forgiveness is an ongoing process, not one-time event. [35:12] Be patient in your own forgiveness journey. [37:40] Still fighting despite the challenges. [49:21] Take it easy on yourself through the forgiveness process.    If this episode resonated with you, please rate, follow, share, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find this podcast and know they're not alone. Until next time!

Marathon Man

In this raw, explicit podcast, we interview our coworker Beto about his life-changing experience training for and completing the Chicago Marathon. Beto takes us through his journey from the moment a casual invitation planted the seed to him suddenly signing up on a whim to run his first-ever marathon. We get an inside look at the mental and physical rollercoaster of marathon training and race day as someone doing it completely on his own. Beto shares invaluable lessons on overcoming self-doubt, the struggle of commitment, why we sometimes need to lean on others when we feel most alone and how to stay focused in the present moment during an enormously grueling task. His story serves as inspiration that no matter how impossible a goal seems, taking things one step at a time can lead to crossing unimaginable finish lines.   Episode Highlights: [1:18] Beto explains his spontaneous decision to sign up for the Chicago Marathon despite no prior running experience. [3:30] Beto realizes the months of grueling training required and starts having doubts. [4:10] Beto begins a 6-month training plan, fitting in solo runs before and after work. [11:09] Beto opts to train alone instead of joining the marathon group at church. [12:58] Beto struggles through hot summer 10+ mile training runs, reaching mental and physical breaking points. [17:28] Beto considers quitting but persists to avoid letting down donors and finish what he started. [21:08] Beto explains the mistake of doing a 20-mile training run downtown in the blistering heat. [24:06] Beto’s training partner and support system unexpectedly pulls out of running the marathon. [25:47] Beto starts the Chicago Marathon surrounded by others but realizes he'll ultimately be alone. [31:46] On race eve, Beto’s partner confirms he is officially not running, leaving Beto emotionally devastated. [34:09] Up to 40,000 fans lining Chicago streets contrast Beto's isolated mental state on race day. [35:01] Beto gets a wave of pre-race adrenaline and bursts off the starting line. [43:51] Beto remains lost in his thoughts, blocking out fatigue and hitting the wall around mile 13. [47:42] Beto disassociates around mile 19/20, forcing his mind to focus on positivity. [50:06] Beto passes struggling runners late in the race but stays motivated to cross the finish line. [56:25] Beto's constant mental rollercoaster mimicking life's ongoing ups and downs. [59:29] Beto reflects on the enormity of finishing something he previously thought impossible.   If this episode resonated with you, please rate, follow, share, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find this podcast and know they're not alone. Until next time!

Continuing to Learn

In this episode, Nancy I got into how fast time flies as you get older. Seems like just yesterday we were kids, now the holidays are already here again. The years go by quicker when you're stuck in repetition instead of learning and experiencing new things. I need to start doing more exciting stuff if I want to slow down Father Time. That led into how we get aggravated at people not meeting our expectations. But our expectations are just something we made up in our heads. People are not going to understand where we're coming from if we don't take the time to understand them. We're all going through our own sh*t every minute of the day. I can't expect someone to just automatically know what I want them to do. Gotta be more specific in my communication if I want different results. My perspective and experiences aren’t universal. If I keep treating people based on my expectations instead of who they really are, I'm just going to end up pissed off and pushing them away. Time to rethink this egocentric nonsense. One example is how I thought I was raising my son to be happy and healthy, the opposite of my childhood. But then we were told he's traumatized and I couldn't understand it. Had to realize he's his own person who went through things I'm not aware of. My expectations of being a good dad didn't match up with his reality. That was a tough pill to swallow but it helped me become more open-minded. Overall, we got to stop assuming everyone should inherently understand us and do things our way. They’re on their own path. Best thing is to share, listen and try to understand each other's perspectives. Easier said than done when you been through real shit and had to figure life out on your own. But staying closed off with expectations, assumptions and ego will just lead to more pain. Time to peel back the layers and connect as human beings.   Timeline Summary: [00:50] How time passes quicker when you get older. [02:22] Backing cars into each other shows being on autopilot. [04:02] Our expectations have alienated people. [07:13] Getting aggravated at people not meeting expectations at work. [13:19] Building walls to avoid dealing with emotions. [15:37] Expectations lead to disappointment. [18:58] Can't expect people to inherently understand us. [20:24] Didn't see my strictness as expectations. [22:33] Really noticing these patterns now. [27:08] Importance of human connection.   If this episode resonated with you, please rate, follow, share, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find this podcast and know they're not alone. Until next time!

A Passionate Rant About Fake Christians

In this solo episode, I’m going on an impassioned rant about my personal frustration with Christians who claim to be open and accepting but fail to follow through on their word. Listen to me vent about the hypocrisy of Christians who preach openness but refuse to have authentic conversations with people different from themselves. I’m challenging Christians to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. This unfiltered monologue will give you a raw look into my true feelings.   Timeline Summary: [00:26] The backstory on our "Me Mondays". [02:00] Reaching out to guests with great convos, but they ghost. [04:52] The ironic thing is the ghosters are Christians! [06:48] The meaning of our show is being open and authentic. [08:44] Rant against Christian hypocrisy - claiming openness but judging others. [12:30] This podcast is based on respecting differences, but Christians are too scared. [15:11] Plea for real, authentic Christians to come on the podcast.   If this episode resonated with you, please rate, follow, share, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find this podcast and know they're not alone. Until next time!