The mandate on masculinity is to protect, provide, and connect. However, modern culture has slowly deviated from the path to becoming a man, creating a world of orphaned boys who lack accountability, transparency, and the exchange of truth. The result is a lack of courage, love, and safety. But is there hope for a course correction? In this episode, author and speaker Danny Silk joins the conversation. He opens up about his broken childhood, the healing he found in facing himself in...

An idea etched into the minds of many of us is that finding the right person will make us complete. From a young age, entertainment, religious traditions, and family cultures perpetuate this fantasy. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves years into a relationship feeling deceived. If another person can't fulfill us, what’s the point of a relationship? In this episode, Justin and Abi discuss the fantasy of being fulfilled through marriage, which wreaked havoc on their relationship. They...

Marriage is not for the faint of heart. As two become one, it can feel more like two worlds colliding in unforeseen, catastrophic ways. Without healthy models and a supportive community, marriage can feel like a place where we go to waste away. But what if it was designed to be a place where we learn to come alive and thrive? In this episode, Justin and Abi celebrate their 16-year wedding anniversary. Stepping into another year, they sit down to share about the pitfalls they’ve faced and...

We’re all looking for acceptance, love, and connection. It’s no surprise that for many of us, it’s easy to suppress our opinions, beliefs, and desires, for the sake of fitting in. Having our autonomy, and sense of self, can create conflict and disconnection. But what if the price of blending in comes at the cost of living an authentic and fulfilled life? In this episode, Justin and Abi explore the  impacts of an underdeveloped sense of self and how to healthily transition to a lifestyle of...

There is very little in life we can be totally certain of. The certainty we do have is often an illusion, much like control. When that illusion is shaken, many of us lose our sense of stability. We can quickly find ourselves feeling powerless to circumstances, but what if it’s possible to become confident in the most uncertain times? In this episode Justin and Abi share vital keys to creating stability in the craziest situations. They explain how embracing the reality that life is seasonal...

It’s easy to bury the past, and the dead, in our hearts, but left unprocessed things can start rotting. The loss of those we loved, reviled, and were indifferent about can leave us with many unspoken and unresolved matters. But, what if it was possible to have much-needed hard conversations even when the person you’re dealing with is dead? In this episode, Justin and Abi discuss unique ways of approaching loss. They explore powerful moments of reconciliation with the dead through healthy...

In the messiness of humanity there is a world of pain and suffering all around us that we can’t deny. For some of us, reconciling that there’s a good God that could have created a world filled with tragedy and trauma, feels nearly impossible. For many others the greatest hurdle isn’t the world around us, it’s the pain that strikes our personal lives that leaves us confused and questioning our faith.  In part 2 of this mini-series, Justin’s best friend Marcus returns to discuss ways to stay...

In part one of this deeply emotional and impactful two-part series, Justin and his best friend Marcus share stories of a radically loving God. Reflecting on their own experiences, they shine a light on how the intimate knowledge of a good and present God has far-reaching emotional and physical impacts. Through miraculous stories of God’s faithfulness and intervention, they remind the world that we’re not alone, left to figure it all out on our own.  If you enjoy a dose of hope and a giant...

Creating connected relationships where we feel like we’re authentic and thriving can seem difficult for many of us. Underlying issues that we don’t understand within ourselves can get in the way of having the experiences we desire. At the center of these difficulties are often codependent behavior patterns that affect an estimated 90 percent of the American population.  In this episode, Abi and her best friend Pietze explore codependency and its impact. They discuss two of its main forms,...

We’ve all lost relationships at some point in our lives. Whether we created the disconnection, they did, or we both played a role, those losses can be difficult and messy. Sadly, these losses can seemingly leave us worse off than if we never knew the person, but what if it doesn’t have to be that way? In this episode Abi and Justin shine a light on powerful approaches to relational loss. They take a look at having gratitude for what was, how our grief matters, ways to have compassion for...

For many of us, our beliefs around spirituality and faith can lead us to heightened levels of anxiety and mental torment, without even realizing it. Our thoughts on God can induce looping mental gymnastics that keep us feeling unlovable and fearful of impending doom. Obsessive-compulsive thoughts of needing to be perfect, in order to please God, can rob us of peace and a life filled with goodness. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode friend and fellow Life Consultant Rachel...

Connection is tricky. For some, distance in a relationship seems terrifying, leaving us feeling abandoned and alone. For others, a consistent sense of being close can feel overwhelming, resulting in feeling pulled on and suffocated. Either way, it can lead to unnecessary relational breakdowns when we lack the proper education. Understanding secure attachments can be a game changer! In part two of this two-parter, Abi is joined again by her lifelong best friend Pietze as they continue to...

Creating functional and healthy relationships can feel like a mystery. It’s easy to believe we’re broken and don’t do connection well. But what if understanding our attachment system could redefine how we relate, create compassion for others, and improve our relationships?  In part one of this two-part episode, Abi sits down with her lifelong best friend Pietze to discuss attachment styles. They explore attachment theory, how attachment styles develop, and how these styles can wreak havoc on...

In this story of life, death, and rebirth Abi sits down with Justin to discuss his week-long expedition with breath and cold plunge master Wim Hof. Justin candidly shares about his process of being pushed to the brink of his body's capacity, the fear of death he faced, and the healing from trauma he found in the arms of an unlikely person. In the afterglow of his journey, Justin fondly reflects on a community of strangers that fostered radical love that paved the way for a restorative healing...

What if a vulnerable conversation could be enough to foster the comfort needed to relieve panic and anxiety? Many of us have history’s littered with painful and traumatic moments that impact our everyday lives. On difficult days, sometimes a loving presence and caring questions are just enough to free us from our funk, while bringing repair to parts of our past. In this episode Justin sits down with a grumpy gal named Abi, who isn’t in the mood to do a podcast. Through thoughtful questions,...

In 2011 Brene Brown launched a cultural shifting TED Talk called The Power of Vulnerability. Now, with over 20 million views, her clinical research has validated what an entire emotional health industry had been spending years trying to help the world understand, that vulnerability is a vital key to connection and happiness. The question is, if it’s so vital, how do we practically express vulnerability?  In this episode Abi and Justin share about misperceptions of what people believe is...

We’ve all had times where we followed our intuition and it didn’t work out the way we hoped it would. For many of us these kinds of disappointments can lead to not trusting ourselves. This breakdown in trust can feel like a safer route, but more often than not the consequences of not following our intuition can be a mundane life filled with regrets. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode Justin and Abi talk about he impact of following your intuition. They share hopeful stories...

At a young age many of us find ourselves losing our innocence through situations that leave us feeling unsafe. In order to protect ourselves, slowly over time, we unconsciously fortify our hearts. In the process we disconnect from a source of joy and wonder that is at the epicenter of creativity and life, in hopes of avoiding pain. In doing so we find ourselves living a mediocre existence. But what if it doesn’t have to be that way? In this episode Justin and Abi shine a light on the child...

Disconnections in relationships are normal and to be expected. Yet, for many of us, the disconnections we often saw modeled to us growing up didn’t end well. For so many, the experiences we’ve been exposed to are filled with unresolved pain that ends in further distance or no acknowledgement of the real problems at all. Because of this, being present in other people’s conflict can be anxiety inducing, sending us into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses. But what if we could sit down in...

Our time on earth is limited and facing the reality of our mortality can feel scary or morbid. We can easily place our deaths in the back of our minds where we imagine them far off in some distant future and forget how precious each moment truly is. In the end of another person’s life it’s realistic to reflect not only on how they spent it, but also how we’re spending the incredible gift we’ve been given. In this episode Abi and Justin sit down to discuss the recent loss of Abi’s Uncle...

We’ve all found ourselves feeling an ache and an anger when we see and hear stories of injustice and violation perpetuated by people in authority, especially when we admire them. There are countless stories of abuse of power throughout all of our human institutions. This messiness can leave us feeling disillusioned and cause us to live reactive. But, what if we could foster a responsive lifestyle that creates healing, while addressing a course correction? In this episode Justin and Abi take...

We all have histories laced with difficulties that leave an impact on us. Often times the people that play a role in perpetuating pain are the ones that matter most to us. In our formative years these experiences have a tendency to leave an imprint that lasts a lifetime. It’s reasonable to want to pass judgment on those people and events, while swearing to never be or do them, but in doing so we often find ourselves replicating a cycle we’re not so proud of. But what if letting go of our...

Often times we find ourselves in unnecessary conflict all because of miscommunications. This can leave us feeling misunderstood, judged, and defeated. As humans we all have the ability to talk, but rarely are we trained in how to successfully communicate. It’s easy to feel like we’re the only ones having a tough time. But we’re not alone, and honing one simple technique can easily leave us feeling like relational rockstars! In part two of this incredible two part series Abi and Justin take a...

Experiencing connection or conflict in most relationships usually comes down to one foundational issue, communication. Communication is at the epicenter of all human relationships, making it one of the most vital topics necessary to understand if we hope to be successful in our exchanges with one another. Unfortunately, most of us rarely consider the ways our communication style is affecting us getting the results we so desperately desires. But what if there were a few simple tweaks to the...