Paul comes back on to catch us up on his startup, ask some questions regarding the state of Mindsoak and talk about fatherhood.

I release some news about Mindsoak ideas that are in the hopper. I’m looking to start recording one of them, serial episodes with Michael C. Bryan this Friday and will be looking to release it on the following Monday. I’m going to let Michael tear in to me (I think) so it will be an interesting experiment in vulnerability.

Paul and I will continue to push content 3 to 4 times a month as his business continues to grow and we continue to enjoy discussing various topics. I’m excited he’s moving back to my part of the world soon so we can start doing podcasts in the same room. It will feel more like our long talks on my deck.

Speaking of long talks on my back deck, our conversation for this episode is as tangent ridden (and I mean that in a good way) as the talks which take place on my back deck.

Paul, who isn’t a father yet, asks me, a father of two, about parenting. Specifically, how I think the content I create (blog posts, books, podcasts, etc.) will be viewed by my children in the future.

This leads us to a conversation about legacy, what we may keep for our children (and grandchildren) so they can have a taste of what our life was like and what perspectives we may have at this juncture in our lives.

We go a little morbid and talk about our legacy when we die. For instance, I’ve never thought how recording all these podcast episodes will allow my children (as adults…hopefully) and grandchildren listen to me and hear my voice, long after I’m gone.

I would give anything to listen to any one of my grandparents on a podcast. If someone walked in today and dumped a bunch of recordings in my lap and said, “Hey, your grandpa recorded these when he was 40 years old” I’d be beyond over the moon to listen. Can you imagine how amazing that would be?

This idea of my putting my thoughts and perspectives down on a podcast for my ancestors who will follow has dramatically changed the way I look at recording them now.

Paul and I also meander into the topic of parenting teenagers who are using social media and our thoughts on how to handle certain situations. We both have some “soapbox” moments which is both enlightening and humorous.

To learn more about Paul, check out his website www.paullemley.com.

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Sometimes you get done with a conversation and you realize that your mind was just blown. That’s the conversation and experience I had with Michael C. Bryan.

Michael is a “success coach” for fortune 500 executives, thriving creatives in all fields and business owners. He works at guiding people to a feeling of peace and ease and a sense of purpose and meaning in their work. The core of his work is helping people identify and listen to their inner voice, their gut feeling.

And oh boy, I bet his success rate is high. Because I walked away from the conversation rejuvenated and inspired.

Being a therapist myself, Michael and I quickly align ourselves with the idea that we live in a world which the majority of time focuses too much on the problems and too little on the solutions that are staring us right in the face.

One of my favorite pull quotes from this interview is when Michael announces “people’s deepest fears are their greatest strengths.”

Think of that quote for a moment. At face value it doesn’t seem to make sense. But when we peel back the layers a little more it’s the foundation for all the success we have in life.

For example, maybe someone considers themselves as having poor self-esteem. Well, society would tell us that is a problem that needs to be fixed. In all honesty I would most likely try to help someone alleviate this “weakness” in therapy.

Michael’s point is well made and considers that most likely this person is also extremely empathetic, a great listener and humble. We discuss other examples of this in the episode and it’s a belief which will continue to reverberate in my mind.

Michael also gives some real world examples and techniques you can utilize to start every day by setting up an “emotional set point”. After listening to his suggestions I’m sure you will, like me, take Michael up on his seven day challenge.

It is with great pleasure and great inspiration that I release this Michael’s episode. I hope you find as much inspiration and meaning in Michael’s words as I do.

To find out more about Michael visit www.mcbhappier.com or follow him on the following social media platforms on Twitter at @MCBHappier, Instagram at @mcbhappier and Facebook at www.facebook.com/namastebmichaelbryan.

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I love when someone comes on and let’s me pick their brain about any given topic. That’s what Bill Hoard allowed me to do when he came on the podcast and we juggled a ton of subject matter.

The basic premise of this episode is me wanting to pick Bill’s brain regarding hearing what he’s learned from creating in a like-minded community with his companions at Pints & Prose.

We also discuss our thoughts on how innovation happens, the concept of the “lone genius”, cultivating innovation in classrooms and with youth, and fostering a creative critique group.

From time to time we meander through the concept of failure, the importance of open debate, the world of publishing, idea percolation and how creativity and philosophy go hand in hand.

Then it goes off the rails as I ask Bill the weirdest place he has ever slept and ask for tips on how to smoke a pipe. I’m glad I asked the last question…it was like going to a Pipe Smoking 101 class.

Bill is an author, a teacher and a walking philosopher. His books include The Dagger and the Rose and the Hubris Towers: Season 1. To find out more about Bill, check out Pints & Prose, Click Works Press, follow him on Twitter at @BaztheFitz, join his e-mail list or find him on Amazon.

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Paul and I sit down and discuss some “backburner” ideas we have for companies, products and services. Some of these are ideas we’ve already been working on. Some are simply percolating with the hope of taking off in 2016. And some of them are just that, ideas, which will most likely never see the light of day.

But for guys like Paul and I its always fun to get on the horn and pitch ideas back and forth to see if any stick. Who knows, maybe listening to us will motivate you to dust off some of your backburner ideas and finally let them see the light of day.

Paul and I mention a lot of services, books and products during this episode. I’ve done my best to capture the majority of them here in case you want to learn more:

• Plated.com: “A new kind of dinner.”
• Marie Forleo
• Ramit Sethi
• Office Therapy: EMR and Billing Software for Behavioral Health
• 11.22.1963: TV Mini-Series, 2016
• Out of This World: My comic book series on Amazon.com.
• Beme: “Share video. Honestly.”
• Bullet Journal: The analog system for the digital age.
• Pencil Case: “Create custom apps or share digital content right to your team’s iOS devices using PencilCase’s suite of tools.”

To learn more about Paul, check out his website www.paullemley.com.

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A couple of weeks ago I had the idea of inviting guests on from my past. People from my childhood. My formative years. Well, if I was going to have someone on who was crucial to my development I needed to start with John Riggins.

John Riggins went by many names; Riggins, Riggs, Coach, Mr. Riggins but he wore even more hats. In my high school years he served as the cross country coach, track coach, basketball coach, baseball coach, athletic director, bus driver (to sporting events) and social studies teacher. But above all, his most important role was as mentor to many students and athletes like myself.

My development as an athlete, as a student and as a human being was largely influenced by Coach Riggins. I had him for one hour of social studies class, each day, for all four years of high school. I also had him as a coach, almost every day, from August to June of all four years.

Coach is the most positive guy you will ever meet and that’s no hyperbole. He’s also as humble as they come, so I knew telling him how much he meant to me, to all of us, would be a difficult compliment for him to accept. But he knows, oh I hope he knows, we wouldn’t be who we are today without those four years of his guidance.

During this episode we talk about coaching philosophy and mentorship and we also do a whole lot of reminiscing. I thank you for obliging me in our walk down memory lane. It was a treat for me and I hope you find it entertaining as well.

I also hope it inspires you to reach out to the mentors from your past to let them know the impact they had on your life.

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I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Sarah Stephens to talk about her upcoming novel, “A Flash of Red” which will be released by Pandamoon Publishing in the winter of 2016.

“A Flash of Red” chronicles the “chaos that ensues when mental illness invades our most intimate relationships”.

Here’s a blurb of the plot:

Professor Anna Klein and her husband, Sean, are a young couple each struggling with their own misperceptions of reality. While Anna’s daily anxieties turn on the axis of her mother’s path into psychosis, Sean escapes to the alternate reality of love and sex offered online.

When Bard, a student of Anna’s, develops his own obsession with the couple, their already unsteady world collapses with irrevocable consequences. As focused on providing a driving plot as it is in presenting multi-faceted characters, A Flash of Red ultimately asks the question: What happens when we can no longer tell the difference between what we want and what is real?

I’m in!

Sarah and I discuss how she summoned her creativity and productivity to write a novel while also raising a family and lecturing at Penn State (she earned her doctorate in developmental psychology). We get a behind the scenes look at her creative process and learn about her personal goals for this year.

Along the way we also dive deeper into some more personal questions and discussions. We talk about vulnerability and the importance of failure. Sarah speaks elegantly about her most common negative thoughts and how irrationality can consume us.

When I ask Sarah what she most regrets never telling someone she details a beautiful relationship with her deceased father. Listening to Sarah speak on this topic is an eye-opener for us to cherish the time we have with those we love the most.

I also ask Sarah what she would tell her younger self if she could travel back in time and what she thinks are the best lessons she’s learned in life.

Truth be told Sarah and I also meander down a side road of psychobabble which was as nerdy as it was enjoyable. Concepts of reinforcement, anxiety, development and internal locus of control are discussed with glee. We are already planning another time for her to come on the podcast so we can explore these topics and nerd out some more.

Oh…and we talk about how Sarah believes she used to be, but definitely is no longer, an a**hole. 🙂

You can learn more about Sarah by following her on Twitter @skstephenswrite and read more of her writing on her blog, Sarah’s Stories, at shkstories.wordpress.com. Sarah also has a Facebook page and you can read her short story, “Boys”, at Five on the Fifth literary magazine March 2016 issue.

To read more about her upcoming novel, “A Flash of Red” visit Pandamoon’s publishing announcement.

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