Between the Ears

How well do you know your farmer? In our case, he has become a friend and part of our family's life. We know his story, we trust him and his farm, and we are inspired by his pursuits and purpose. Malcolm Salovaara's story is as rare as it is inspiring. After pursuing and obtaining  an Ivy League education, Malcolm decided to choose a different path than the traditional ones his peers headed o...

How do you define toughness? What characters, images, and stories come to mind when you think of displays of toughness?  As athletes, we grow up thinking toughness is never letting anything get in our way of winning. It is playing injured. It is showing up early, outworking everyone, and leaving last. It is doing anything and everything necessary to be as  best prepared come game day...a...

Omar Jabri has been a central contributor to BTE over the past few years, despite his geographical distance. His willingness to "do the work" of raising awareness to drive action not only helps him, but he has directly helped others by honestly and openly sharing his experiences.  Omar also was the first person to introduce me to the concept of psychological flexibility and how it is one of t...

Do not listen to this episode while doing something else. It is heavy. It is raw. It is authentic. It is strong.  It is all things Vince Ruiz embodies. After going into the darkness and nearly losing his life to the perils of addiction, Vince returned to life with a light that he now helps others shine in their own lives as a mental health professional serving in community based and private p...

Solee Natal is an amazing human who has graced those the BTE community with her courage to face the unknown, tenacity to challenge herself,  and willingness to be vulnerable and honest with others - something that doesn't come easy to an introvert. Solee is one of the hardest working and inspiring people I've known and anyone who has shared the BTE space with Solee knows exactly what I'm talk...

K and I sit down to debrief the morning after her BTE12 event - 12 hours of rucking, running, and carrying a sandbag. There's simplicity in these pursuits that allow for clarity of purpose, questions, and ultimately ownership of why we do hard things. If you've ever questioned yourself, I think you'll hear some nuggets of wisdom you can apply to your own journey. Most importantly, I'm proud of her...

Tim Chan has been one of the most involved members of the Between the Ears virtual experience. Tim is a long time friend, former co-worker and a BTE enthusiast who has truly done the work to live his Who when it's been the hardest and mattered the most.  This is a powerful, raw, vulnerable and beautiful conversation about Tim's journey through loss and discovery. He shares how he uses the too...

Toby Guillette gifts us with his calm while intense, strong while gentle, steady while curious presence that is full of wisdom earned by over a decade of climbing  experience, endurance efforts, and an ongoing project that left both Karianne and I super inspired and grateful to share this space with Toby. We chat about his recent experience completing the 4x4x48 endurance event that had him r...

It's been about a year of everyone's first time dealing with the challenges we've faced this past year. While we may be seeing light at the end of the tunnel physically, we must acknowledge the mental and emotional toll the past year has had and continues to have on us. Here's how we are processing this and an exercise that can help you help yourself. Support the show

We all know  self-care is important, so why is it so hard to actually do? What does it mean to be present and how can we practice this so that we can express it when we need it most?  These are just a couple questions K and I address as we discuss her recent experience with an aggressive anxiety attack and how she worked through it. Support the show

K and I chat about working through some her challenges with being a victim. Nobody wants to be the victim, but victimhood is common. It is also one of the most misunderstood and inaccurately conceptualized archetypes in the personal development space. Sadly, the victim is chastised as the 'cause' for turmoil and misery, when in reality is is often a symptom of something much deeper going on. How w...

K and I are reengaging with the initial intent of this podcast to have open, vulnerable, honest, real conversations about things we personally are experiencing in the hopes it provides value to others who gift us their time of listening. We talk about how feeling as a skill shows up in our lives and the challenges we face in when we don't feel. Support the show (https://www.btwntheears.com/)

An open and honest discussion about whether the overwhelming amount of information, including this podcast, is actually being applied, working, and doing anything. Support the show

K and I share some of our goals for 2021, why they matter, how 2020 went, and how you can get actioning your this year. Win From Within is a goal accomplishment virtual workshop that will educate and empower you to take action in pursuit of your goals. I just help you turn the lights on, get clear, and establish a plan to engage in.  You can purchase this training for just $25 here: https://b...

Bob Harper joins as our very first guest to talk about his experience in the fitness and entertainment industry, nutrition, and connecting to clients in order to serve them and get results. Support the show (https://www.btwntheears.com/)

Following up on last week's episode, we discuss the sobering question:  "And then what?" The depression that comes after an intense pursuit is something that plagues many athletes and one that I have battled from athletics to leaving the military. This is a deeper dive and very personal chat about the curse of the athlete's mind. Support the show

Athletes are revered in our culture. As a society, we look to athletes as models for commitment, hard work, and success. But there is a darker side of truly being an athlete that I have personally struggled with my whole life. This episode introduces an archetype I have been working on for a few years: The Athlete's Mind. The Athletes Mind is the all-consuming obsession one has with competing, per...

"To new beginnings" is a bit of an eye-roll toast, but there's an interesting discussion to have when approaching this with curiosity. I have now been out of the military longer than I was in, and in this episode share some thoughts and experiences with beginning a new life. K and I discuss how each of us has begun anew, what it means, some challenges with expectations, and lessons learned. Suppor...

K and I don't pull any punches on this rant about mental health, taking action and growing in this no bullshit episode. This might rub some the wrong way and it might be exactly what some need to hear. Wherever you fall on this continuum, we encourage you to apply what we talk about to your own pursuits with honesty and intention. Support the show

There is an abundance of 'good stuff' out there to do to improve your physical, mental, emotional, and more fitness pursuits. There are so many 'best practices' that it is often overwhelming for folks to prioritize and action ANY of them, let alone ALL of them. The result of this is usually not good... In this episode we share some thoughts about how to prioritize the good stuff and not just have...

How do you answer the questions you ask yourself? When do you 'know' what the answer is? K and I discuss the 2 categories of answers that accompany big questions. To be clear: this episode will not tell you the what the answer is, but hopefully helps you when you ask yourself the most important questions along your Path. Support the show

K and I discuss what these mean, why they are important, and how you can build agency to make better choices. BTE Fitness presents daily opportunities to build agency and strengthen the power of choice. The gym is our laboratory and proving ground for personal development, but make no mistake about it - the intent is to improve life outside the gym.  Support the show (https://www.btwntheears....

The Path is the pursuit of getting to know who you are. This doesn't happen overnight or through a 'one and done' activity, rather a continued engagement in living your life with presence, awareness, and connection. We discuss The Path, why it may be challenging to remain on it, and how we can travel along it to continue to get to know and express who we are. Support the show (https://www.btwnthee...

Fear is a powerful driver in our lives and we can use it to drive positive action IF we understand it. Raising our awareness and understanding of fear requires having a better conversation about it, it's origin, source, and influence in how we engage with life. The intent of this episode is to start this more purposeful conversation. Support the show (https://www.btwntheears.com/)

Fired up to announce The VECTOR PROJECT, a 10-week program that focuses on your mindset, goals, and purpose, culminating in an in-person or remote event. K and I discuss why we are doing this, the value of training for something specific, and some of the real value in the pursuit. If interested, email bill@btwntheears.com. Vector: Having direction and magnitude, especially as determining the posit...