catchiNG up: Beyond the Classroom

Episode 13 - From Boots to Wings

In this episode of catchiNG up, Peter reconnects with Mason Vilsaint, a former Timber Creek student who's traded a military police badge for a pilot's wings. Mason served three and a half years as an Army MP after enlisting just days after high school graduation, and is now a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University working toward becoming a commercial pilot. Mason opens up about the winding road that got him here: a turbulent stretch of high school spent living out of district and commuting nearly 45 minutes each way, a recruiter's cold call that changed his trajectory, and the unexpected lessons in authority and responsibility that came from policing a military base barely out of his teens. He and Peter dig into what it really felt like to patrol alongside soldiers twice his age, the moment he decided to pivot from the Army to aviation with zero flying experience, and the disorienting physical sensations pilots train to overcome (yes, anatomy comes up). The conversation turns reflective as Mason talks about being a 23-year-old freshman, mentoring younger classmates, and redefining what growth looks like now that the markers aren't as simple as passing grades. He credits the relationships and structure he built in high school, sports, student government, and yes, Peter's anatomy class, with giving him the foundation to take a leap of faith most people wouldn't. This one's a reminder that the path to where you're going rarely looks like a straight line, and that the people who show up for you along the way matter more than you realize at the time. Follow @the_catchinguppodcast on Instagram for clips and behind-the-scenes content, and catch new episodes every Wednesday.

Episode 12 - From the Library to Seoul: Natalie Fuentes Finds Her Place

What do you do when you're 15, back in a city you left behind, and every friend group has already formed without you? For Natalie Fuentes, the answer was a classroom — a room with the music, anatomy posters, and a teacher who never minded company at lunch. In this episode of catchiNG Up, I reconnect with Natalie, a former anatomy student from the Class of 2019 who's now finishing her psychology degree at UCF on the industrial-organizational track. What started as "I just wanted a fun science class" turned into one of the most meaningful conversations of the season. We talk about: 🪑 The lunch table that wasn't a table — how an empty classroom became a safe space, and how one student quietly built a community without realizing it 🧠 Finding her lane in psychology — why Natalie pivoted from neuroscience to I/O psych, and what she wants her career to look like 🇰🇷 Eight months in Seoul — studying Korean abroad, why English speakers struggle with Korean grammar, and learning to read the lyrics she'd been singing for years 🌏 The "little world tour" — Japan, China, Korea, and Bali in one summer, plus her travel tips for my own Japan trip this December 💜 BTS, SEVENTEEN, and a Super Bowl theory — front-row barricades, fandom culture, and why I'm convinced a K-pop halftime show is coming ⏳ Advice to her 16-year-old self — "Time really does heal." Natalie opens up about the hardest year of her life, the anger she carried, and the resilience she didn't recognize until years later This is what catchiNG Up is all about: the student who sat quietly in the corner becomes the world traveler, the survivor, the big sister giving advice no one wants to hear, yet. Growth isn't always linear — but it's always worth talking about. 🎧 New episodes every Wednesday | Clips every Friday📲 Follow us on Instagram: @thecatchingupPodcast catchiNG Up: where conversations continue beyond the classroom.

Episode 11 - Jack of All Trades: A Conversation with My Brother Victor

Season 2 kicks off with a family reunion. Peter sits down with his oldest brother, Victor Ng, a realtor, Air Force veteran, and self-described jack of all trades. Victor shares what it was like growing up in the Dominican Republic, where the school system put students together from first grade all the way through graduation, and how a disruptive but brilliant friend shaped some of his most memorable moments in class. He also opens up about enlisting in the Air Force in 1999, being stationed in Kuwait just weeks before September 11th, and what those 97 consecutive days of 12-hour shifts actually felt like. But it's not all heavy — Victor's story includes a legendary cheat sheet operation, bribing his teachers with sandwiches and $100 bills, and arriving in the U.S. knowing exactly four sentences of English. The episode closes with Victor's advice to his younger self: start investing early, because a 9-to-5 alone won't get you off the hamster wheel. A candid, funny, and surprisingly profound conversation between two brothers with a 15-year age gap and a whole lot of catching up to do.

Episode 10 - The Long Way Around

This one is different. For Episode 10, there's no guest — just me. And I want to tell you something I don't think I've ever said out loud in this format: I never planned on becoming a teacher. I graduated from UCF in 2013 with a degree in Molecular and Microbiology. I had a plan. Med school, a clear path forward. And then the self-doubt crept in, the scores weren't where I needed them to be, and suddenly I was back at my parents' house in St. Augustine with no idea what came next. What followed was a chapter I don't talk about much — a move to Chicago, a job that didn't work out, pivoting to medical courier work, taking on debt, and spending a lot of time alone on long drives, wondering what I was doing with my life. But somewhere in the middle of all of that, a podcast changed everything. A TED talk about risk and knowing your north star made me stop and ask myself a question I hadn't been honest about: what do I actually want? The answer pointed me back to Florida, into a substitute teaching position I almost didn't take, and eventually into an Anatomy & Physiology classroom that somehow felt exactly right. Episode 10 felt like the right moment to share this story — because catchiNG Up has always been about growth that doesn't follow a straight line. And my path into teaching is about as winding as it gets. This is The Long Way Around. And with it, Season 1 comes to a close. Season 2 is coming soon. 🎙️ catchiNG Up is a podcast about reconnection, growth, and life beyond the classroom — featuring former students, colleagues, and friends reflecting on where life has taken them. If this episode resonated with you, it would mean the world if you followed the show and left a review. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps the show growing. 📲 Find everything — all episodes, social media, and more — at the link below:linktr.ee/The_catchiNGupPodcast [linktr.ee/The_catchiNGupPodcast]

Episode 9 - From Model UN to Retirement Plans: Julia Porcher on Growing Up, Letting Go, and Moving Forward

On this episode of catchiNG Up, Peter sits down with someone who knows him better than anyone — his wife, Julia Porcher. A plan compliance consultant by trade and a self-described "lifelong partner" to Peter's "lifelong learner," Julia opens up about the path she thought she'd take (diplomat, world traveler, Model UN devotee) versus the one she actually walked. They talk about what it means to become a realist, why soft skills are harder to teach than any math class, and the advice she'd give her high school self — if she'd even listen. Plus: household "performance reviews," the economics of teenage babysitting, and the eternal struggle of patience versus crochet.