In this episode, I explore the question, “What day would I want to relive forever?” — inspired by Groundhog Day. While on a 5-day trip with one of my best friends, we talked about the meaning of moments that matter most. I share what it was like coming home to two sick kids and a sick wife, navigating that chaos as a parent for the first time, and the heartbreak of hearing my 2-year-old say, “No want Daddy.” I also dive into a deeper question: If a witch could show you how you die, would you look? A mix of reflection, humor, and vulnerability about parenthood, meaning, and being present.
Six-time national pole vault masters champion Lynn Larsen shares how she started vaulting at 50, became a national champion with both hands, and how the sport transformed her body, mind, and community.
We talk about how doctors told her to quit, what kept her going, and how pole vault became a form of therapy and belonging. Lynn also opens up about her life as a special education professor, and for the first time, I share my own story of being in special needs classes because of depression.
A conversation about resilience, growth, and the power of sport at any age.
A year after losing my dad, I’ve been reflecting on grief, loss, fatherhood, and the strange ways healing shows up. During my stay in a mental health hospital, I finally saw how much of our pain came from generational trauma — patterns passed down with love but carried with hurt. When we finally talked about it, we became closer than ever.
This episode is about running through grief, finding connection after loss, and learning how vulnerability can turn pain into peace. It’s a story about sunsets, forgiveness, and realizing that even when someone’s gone, the love doesn’t leave.
full video of my dad here
https://youtu.be/6sQ2Rm1r1dk?si=ZkWlPrl2_yJUFZsl
In this episode, we sit down with Glenn Colivas — a self-taught pole vaulter who trained his way from high school to the Olympic level, only to have his chance to compete taken away by a boycott. Glenn shares his journey through the highs and heartbreaks of chasing an Olympic dream, how he turned that loss into purpose, and what led him to build BAPVA — one of the best pole vault clubs in the world.
We also talk about the Robert Platt Memorial Meet, an event Glenn runs to honor one of his beloved athletes, Robert Platt, who passed away. The meet raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, continuing Robert’s passion for helping others and giving back through the sport he loved.
A story of resilience, legacy, and the power of community through pole vaulting.
Check out the meet and club https://bayareapolevaultacademy.com/
In this episode, I dive into how ChatGPT has unexpectedly played a role in improving my mental health — not by giving advice, but by recognizing patterns in my thoughts and questions over time. Through countless conversations, it picked up on something I hadn’t consciously realized: that I lean more toward absurdism than nihilism.
I talk about how I put it to the test — using personality frameworks and psychological prompts — just to see how accurately it could understand me. The results were fascinating, even a little eerie.
This episode explores where this kind of self-reflective AI interaction can be genuinely helpful — and where it starts to feel unsettling. Can AI help us understand ourselves better, or does it blur the line between self-awareness and algorithmic prediction?
If you’ve ever found yourself using AI to process your thoughts, explore philosophy, or question your own mind, this conversation will hit close to home.
Lately, I’ve been thinking again about how strange religion really is. No matter how deep the question goes, it always seems to end with “you just have to believe.” For someone who lives on reason and fact, that’s a hard pill to swallow.
In this episode, I talk about my struggle with faith and how I tend to bounce between nihilism and absurdism — one moment feeling like nothing matters, and the next trying to find peace in the chaos of it all.
But I also see the beauty in religion — the way it brings people together, gives them purpose, and inspires them to be better for themselves and their communities.
If you’ve ever questioned what you believe, wrestled with meaning, or just enjoy open conversations about faith, reason, philosophy, and spirituality, this one’s for you.
religion, faith, belief, reason, nihilism, absurdism, spirituality, philosophy podcast, existentialism, meaning of life
What can a 2-year-old dancing to the national anthem teach us about parenting, mindfulness, and meaning? In this episode, I reflect on how children see the world without expectations, what meditation reveals about the mind’s stories, and how my wife and I reconnected on our first real date as parents. A mix of family, love, and self-awareness.
In this episode, I share personal stories about how remembering what it’s like to be a child has helped me become a more patient and empathetic parent. I also dive into insights from Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart and why naming our feelings is such a powerful tool for connection. This conversation is all about seeing the world through a child’s eyes, building emotional awareness, and growing as both a parent and a person.
Parenting is tough—and sometimes it feels like no one is talking about it. This week, I had a couple breakdowns, a few good laughs, and moments of realizing what truly fills my bucket. The hardest part? Not feeling like I’m good enough for my kids.In this episode, we get real about:The stress of parenting and why it builds upWhat’s causing the most pressure right nowHow to reset, recharge, and keep showing up for your kidsFinding small wins and laughter even in the chaosIf you’ve ever felt like you’re not measuring up as a parent—you’re not alone. This is a space for real talk, honest struggles, and encouragement for moms, dads, and anyone raising kids. Parenting podcast, parenting struggles, parenting stress, parenting burnout, not feeling good enough, raising kids, parenthood honesty, family life podcast, parenting challenges, mental health and parenting, parenting support, real talk parenting.
What if the greatest gift we can give our kids is simply to make them feel seen and heard? In this episode, I share why that changes everything—from connection to mental health.
We all crave one thing: to be seen and heard. In this episode, I share why giving my kids that gift is the most important thing I can do as a parent.
I talk about how truly listening and being present doesn’t just build stronger connections—it can help someone out of depression, even save a life from suicide. I also open up about why this is so hard: it takes real vulnerability to see and hear the people we love, and be seen ourselves.
Whether you’re a parent, partner, or friend, learning how to make others feel understood changes everything.
In this conversation, we cover:
Why kids (and adults) crave to be seen and heard
How listening can heal relationships and prevent isolation
The connection between vulnerability, love, and mental health
Practical ways to make your kids (or anyone) feel understood
#Parenting #MentalHealth #Connection #Depression #SuicidePrevention #ParentingPodcast #Listening #Vulnerability #SeenAndHeard
I feel like a bad Dad. Is this true? I can't speak for everyone, but I'd imagine other people feel the same way, but don't talk about it. This is me trying. I just pushed record and blurted out my thoughts.
I talked about anger, authenticity, and perfectionism. How they're all ramped up since becoming a father. It's like the next level of the video game, and harder.