Interesting Ish

Lent Project - Day Two 

The "Aughts" The "Shoulds" ... the To-Do Lists and the schedules.

They pile up like papers on your desk or a heater in your office cranked up to 84 degrees, and something's gotta give. Join me and let go of schedule, (if you can) whenever you hear this, or you may need to ironically schedule the letting go into your schedule!

Lent Project - Day One

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, delete the mobile gaming app. 

Day One we explore the power of gaming apps on our brain and all the "false" dopamine hits they provide. Time for me to let this one go!

Join me as I embark on a 47 day experience of letting go of 1 thing per day for 6 days a week, and adding a beneficial practice to my life every Sunday to fill the void. In total, I will release, let go of or quit 40 things and my life and add 7 sustaining, and life giving practices.

It's the Lent Project and that's all I got for the intro.

Charlotte Gatlin seems to me ... to be a survivor. She has a great story, family, father and support system and people around her that don't see the world or speak of the world in a way that is as "stripped" or raw as she does. They haven't had her walk. This is all of us. We have that challenge of understanding one another. The following is a conversation about the challenges of mental health on a marriage. Mental Health affects us all, and, as it turns out, if you didn't know ... all of us struggle with it. All of us are in community and have to choose BOTH love and boundaries within this conversation. Only a handful of you will read this intro and description, but when you do ... consider what it looks like to send your mom some love, send your father some grace, choose some space from a toxic relationship, and wonder what the next step is towards a healthier and more peaceful life. Charlotte did and I hope you do too. I hope you enjoy.

2:00 - Intro - REAL: A mom's journey from expectation to reality

3:25 - Publishing Process

4:50 - The Pivot - making the call

6:40 - Memoirs to Pages

7:00 - Early years of marriage

9:25 - Minimizing Mom

12:00 - Honoring mothering :)

13:55 - Turning Points

14:00 - Physical, emotional, verbal and financial abuse

17:50 - Losing your father and your marriage

21:00 - Supervised Visitation

22:20 - "Enough" becoming resiliency and compassion

24:32 - No matter the outcome - there is HOPE

27:18 - 3 Questions

27:30 - Being Grateful as a mindset

I've always liked Andy Soper from afar. We know all the same people, but didn't know each other. I liked him even better when we got to sit down together. The dude knows what he wants and goes for it. He's been at it his whole life, but for the better part of a decade, he has been collaborating on creating spaces and organizations to combat the problem of Human Trafficking. After diving into some wild n out run-ins he's had with some bats - one of which that left him in his birthday suit on the porch :), we dive into his propensity to build organizations, and what he is up to lately. Find out how we all can take a note from Target or K-Mart on collecting data, and find a way to use it for creating a better world. Enjoy!

04:16 - eBook - 7 Legitimate Reasons why I am Afraid of Bats

17:36 - Transitioning out of Residential Care

18:16 - You can't take people where you haven't gone

20:36 - Lisa Gungor - The Most Beautiful Thing I've Seen

21:06 - The system isn't broken, it was built this way

22:16 - The Manasseh Project - www.manassehproject.org 

23:56 - Helping starts with learning

27:46 - Youth Homelessness

30:16 - HQ Drop-In Center - www.hqgr.org 

31:06 - Mission including a sense of Belonging and Safety

34:16 - Rick stumbling over words and can't think of the word "dignity" :)

36:16 - Both Continue to be dope !

36:36 - Measurable Change - www.measurablechange.org

40:16 - Professor Bridgette Carr - Human Trafficking Law Clinic

42:05 - 3 Factors of Trafficking - Force, Fraud and Coercion

42:16 - Training phases

45:36 - Moving from Babel to Pentecost

49:35 - It's not hidden in plain sight, it's just in plain sight

49:46 - 3 Questions

I met Julie Lankes this past year through a Grand Rapids Chamber based program called "Leadership Grand Rapids". Julie and I hit it off early on as we talked a bit about working at Camps growing up. We're both fascinated with personality assessments and knowing ourselves well. Julie has had a successful career as a business owner as the founder of BoxBoom Creative, and has since opened up the doors to new fields of work to continue to satisfy her undying curiosity. If you're an achiever, a business owner, a brander or a business based creative ... this is a conversation for you. If you're like the rest of us and just like to listen in, there's some great content as well. Enjoy this Interesting Ish folks!

2:30 - Intro - Extreme Extrovert - ENFP - Meyers Briggs

4:52 - Knowing yourself in the formative years

5:57 - not every co-worker is like me

7:03 - not every camper is like me

8:20 - Chicago life meets MRSA

9:30 - What am I doing?

10:28 - BoxBoom Creative

12:30 - Standing out in a saturated market

13:30 - The minimization of the creative

15:30 - Don't be afraid to blow up your life

16:30 - getting to the top of the mountain, now what?

19:30 - Business architecture

21:00 - "Do you need a me?"

23:41 - The courageous pivot

25:57 - Keeping an undying curiosity

27:30 - Bringing great truths to the surface

27:56 - Enneagram 3 - The achiever

29:15 - 3 Questions

Hey everyone. It was a long winter. It was a long, brutal winter here in Michigan and it's great to be back to producing Interesting Ish, even in the midst of a busy summer season. In this episode, I sit down with Shandy Longcore who is beginning an initiative and message around the topic of "Embracing Imperfection". Shandy's story is a brave and beautiful one that we just scratch the surface of. As a head's up, part of her her story does involve a suicide attempt and I want to be mindful if that is a triggering and sensitive topic for you. We also provide several touch points for reaching out if you are feeling suicidal. I am thankful for Shandy's time and her message and I hope it touches your heart as well.

  NOTES - 

0:15 - Suicide prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255

4:21 - What is interesting about you?

7:08 - Fitness Industry

7:38 - My own family history with depression and mental health

9:40 - A really bad day amidst a joyous childhood

13:07 - We're so thankful you're here

13:23 - Hiding behind "the accident"

15:21 - Opening up

16:03 - Leaders Conference - John O'Leary

17:51 - Go ahead and shut up that inner critic of yours

19:21 - Embracing Imperfection

21:19 - Use your voice - "Amen to reaching out"

24:13 - The dropped stigma of "the therapist"

25:55 - Reframing is important

26:45 - Outlets to connect

27:15 - In a CRISIS moment CALL 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or TEXT "HOME" to 741741

29:35 - Proactive approaches to help with anxiety or depression

32:41 - 3 Questions:

32:46 - What's good? Positivity breeds positivity

36:24 - What needs to be mended?

37:21 - What's next?

CONTACT Shandy at shandy_longcore@yahoo.com

 

Brad Nelson wants to teach you something, but only by sharing his experience as the student. From once taking a gig in the Mail Room at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, MI, to figuring out how to "create" community with 10,000 church goers, to curating a brilliant speakers lineup, to putting in the hours to becoming one himself - Brad is a man that wants to take you there, remembering that it is not about the destination, but how we make the journey, together.

Come join me as we listen in on his journey ... thus far :)

 Jonah Berger is the man, the myth, the legend. I had a skype call with Jonah in the winter of 2014 to discern whether this well-seasoned former Camp Director and I were going to work together for the summer. What I didn't know is that I would gain a lifetime friend. I'd bet my bottom dollar on it. 

Jonah has spent the better part of the last 20 years advocating for individuals with disabilities in Denver, CO and across the nation. He is more than a program guide, camp director, or mentor figure ... Jonah is as close to the real deal as they come and mostly because he is willing to admit all the ways he is not the real deal. Take a peak into his life and way and let me know what you think about the man we call "Joneeezy". Thanks for listening!

SHOW NOTES:

2:45 - reach me at bluewoodfire@hotmail.com

6:45 - Camp Life

7:33 - The Empathy Mentor

11:25 - Growing Up - Rockville, MA

12:58 - 80's hip hop was about positivity

15:48 - Connecting with The Song  17:08 - The Colorado Dream

18:18 - The Rhythm Within

20:32 - Legacy - Grandpa - Dad - Jonah - Being a man of the people

23:56 - Dave Matthews and Frodo

25:06 - WYCE - The best little radio station in the world

26:56 - "So what's up with the legs?"

28:58 - CMT - Charcot-Marie-Tooth

30:20 - Camp Footprint

32:54 - 3 Questions

36:48 - What's Good Denver?

44:05 - Braveheart - "I luvya ... I always have" - "Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it."

Find Jonah on Facebook or at www.therhythmwithin.com

Mark Dykema is passionate about and succeeds at many things. From playing Dave Matthews instrumentals in my wedding ceremony to quoting any episode of The Office, to managing 60 employees, to bee keeping, to being a good father ... I mistook him for an Achiever :). We talk Enneagram 101 and why Mark is a #7 Enthusiast.

To be clear, we are not the foremost experts on the topic, but boy do we have fun pretending to be. The other thing I got wrong is that in the British version of The Office, Jim and Pam are not Jim and Pam ... they're Dawn and Tim! Yeah Tim is played by the brilliant Martin Freeman and Ricky Gervias is off the charts funny, but Tim and Dawn? Just doesn't have that ring ... Either way - FAIL by me.

The following are a few notes to guide you along through the conversation:

4:19 - The Office - British and American humor
10:33 - Armchair Enneagram Experts
15:16 - #7 - The Enthusiast
16:13 - Career story - "Success does not equal calling"
18:36 - Diff. b/w a #7 Enthusiast and a #3 Achiever
20:31 - The drag of a #7 in insurance
21:05 - Bag Boys - the corn hole side hustle
26:13 - Take-aways from working the side hustle
28:26 - "Do not despise small beginnings"
29:19 - BUSINESS OWNERSHIP
32:09 - The Value of the Harlem Shake - employee culture
33:31 - "Every customer must leave in a better mood than when they arrived"
33:35 - "Recognize every customer as an individual" 
35:07 - replicating yourself
36:47 - BE REAL
42:01 - Legacy metrics - weddings
44:00 - 3 questions: 
44:03 - 1. What's good?
46:46 - 2. What could be better?
52:29 - 3. What's next?
53:19 - A #7 begins a podcast :)
58:19 - Enough to be Dangerous