Chasing Joy

It's 12:01 in the morning, and Wayne is back at the mic. The new job, the most structured of his life, doesn't leave much room for anything else, so this is the window we get. Two years and real money went into becoming a certified spiritual director. Then the economy had other plans... clients fell away, a financial hole opened, and the path he trained for led somewhere he never pictured. Tactile...

Everyone's expressing. Everyone's broadcasting. Everyone's a creator now, and AI has made it easier than ever to put content into the world without ever pausing to ask whether it's worth saying. Bryan and Spencer set out to talk about both sides of the equation in this one... expression and perception, the two-way street of how we show up on social media and in real life. But Spencer's instinct as...

What do you actually want? It's the question Josh Damigo asks every coaching client, and a month after being let go from his own job, it's the one he's been asking himself. Josh is back in the studio as our resident expert in something he calls "fun-employment." He walks Spencer and Bryan through what his day looks like... meditation, journaling, two hours of reading, three job applications sent o...

There's a difference between using a calculator and asking ChatGPT to write your essay for you. One is a tool you reach for to handle something you could do yourself but would rather not. The other is something else entirely. On this week's episode of Chasing Joy, Bryan and Spencer work through that distinction in a conversation about cognitive load... what it is, how it's changed since the cavema...

On this episode of Chasing Joy, Spencer and Bryan find unexpected wisdom in a pasta-making class in Florence, milestone birthdays, and everyday life. Two summers ago, twelve of us stood around a long wooden table in Florence. Same flour, same eggs, same instructions from a sweet Italian teacher who learned the recipe from her mother and grandmother before her. Twelve completely different doughs. B...

What if the difference between a chaotic life and a meaningful one… is just 20 minutes in the morning? In this episode of Chasing Joy , we sit down with entertainment attorney Jina Provinson to unpack the surprising system behind her calm, focus, and success—even in a high-pressure career built on predicting conflict. From waking up at 4:30am to building a daily plan before the world intrudes, Jin...

What does it really look like to live a life of service? In this episode of Chasing Joy , we sit down with Clint Garman—former Santa Paula mayor, business owner, pastor, and now leader at the Rescue Mission Alliance—to explore a life shaped by reinvention, relationships, and a deep commitment to helping others. From opening a restaurant to revitalize a struggling downtown… to navigating the realit...

What happens when pain becomes the turning point… not the end of the story? In this episode of Chasing Joy , we sit down with Kevin Weaver-Bey to explore his journey from injury, frustration, and feeling stuck… to purpose, connection, and meaningful work. After years of chronic pain and reliance on prescription medication, Kevin reached a breaking point. When he was unexpectedly laid off during th...

What does it actually mean to navigate grief and uncertainty when life falls apart? In this episode of Chasing Joy , Bryan, Spencer, and Wayne explore how to deal with grief, loss, and the overwhelming uncertainty that comes when you can’t control what happens next. This conversation breaks down: How to process grief without rushing it Why uncertainty creates anxiety, stress, and emotional paralys...

What does it really mean to find joy… when life doesn’t go as planned? In this deeply moving episode of Chasing Joy , we sit down with Kevin Clark, a father who has spent the last 27 years caring for his daughter with a rare and severe neurological condition. What began as unimaginable hardship became something else entirely… a path toward purpose, presence, and a redefinition of what it means to...

In this episode of Chasing Joy , Bryan, Spencer, and Wayne explore a powerful idea that feels almost forgotten in today’s fast-paced world… the art of simply being present. After spending four weeks in the remote desert of Abiquiú, New Mexico, Wayne returns with a deeper understanding of spiritual direction… or what he calls soul companionship . Instead of fixing problems or offering advice, this...

What would you do if you had enough money to never work again — and then lost 40% of it overnight? In this episode of Chasing Joy, Bryan's former colleague Gary Vaughn joins Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne to tell the story of how he went from managing products in the cable industry to secretly trading stocks, retiring at 49, watching his net worth crater during COVID, and rebuilding everything... this...

What if success isn’t measured by how much money you accumulate… but by how fully you experience your life? In this episode of Chasing Joy , we sit down with Hillary Gordon, Director of Marketing for Southern California’s independent radio station 88.5 The SoCal Sound . Hillary has spent years building a career in the creative and unpredictable world of radio and music media, a path that often rew...

What does success actually look like? In this episode of Chasing Joy , Bryan, Spencer, and Wayne sit down with entrepreneur and mentor Jeff Brady to explore the difference between financial success and a life built with intention. Jeff’s story starts in an unlikely place… a clueless college graduate cold-calling for commission sales. Through goal-setting, mentorship, and relentless persistence, he...

In Episode 34, the Chasing Joy crew sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist and Marine Corps veteran George Meier for a raw and honest conversation about healing, identity, and self-forgiveness. George opens up about serving in Fallujah, working with veterans and first responders, and the hidden weight of being both therapist and patient. He shares candidly about PTSD, imposter syndr...

What would you do if you lost everything overnight? When wildfire destroyed Marko DeSantis’ home — along with decades of music history, rare memorabilia, journals, and family heirlooms — he was forced to confront a brutal question: Is your identity tied to what you own? Marko (Sugarcult, The Ataris, Nerf Herder) opens up about the night his house burned down, the viral image of his wife’s recovere...

In Episode 32 of Chasing Joy , the conversation centers on walking for peace as a deliberate, embodied act in a deeply divided moment. Rather than debating ideas or amplifying opinions, this episode reflects on what it means to show up physically and intentionally... choosing presence, restraint, and humility over performance or persuasion. The walk becomes a way to examine uncertainty, emotional...

Welcome back to Chasing Joy … where curiosity, creativity, and real life collide. In this episode, Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne are joined by Joel Miller , author, lifelong rock roadie, and host of the Party Like a Rock Star podcast, for a conversation that completely flips the narrative on social media. If you’ve listened to the show before, you know Spencer is famously skeptical of social media and...

In this new-year episode of  Chasing Joy , the hosts move past the pressure of resolutions and into a deeper conversation about  renewal, rebirth, and reinvention . Rather than treating change as something to fix or force, they explore the idea that transformation is already happening... constantly. Through humor, philosophy, and reflection, the conversation examines why resolutions ofte...

This episode of Chasing Joy is an invitation into a moment most of us recognize but rarely talk about. Spencer enters the conversation without a script, navigating what it feels like when certainty fades, plans unravel, and the version of yourself that “had it together” no longer fits. Instead of offering answers, he allows the questions to stay open… revealing something quieter, more honest, and...

In this episode of Chasing Joy, Wayne explores why uncertainty triggers anxiety, how our nervous systems pull us into autopilot, and why learning to pause is often the first step toward better choices. Through a grounded conversation about breath, awareness, and attention, the episode looks at how presence follows pause… and how that presence gives us access to more thoughtful, intentional respons...

In Episode 27 of Chasing Joy , Spencer and Wayne turn the spotlight on their own co-host, Bryan Flores , kicking off a run of episodes where the hosts stop pretending they’re neutral observers and start telling their own stories. Bryan talks about growing up between worlds, learning early that nothing stays the same, and why uncertainty isn’t something to conquer—it’s something to learn how to sur...

Comedian, musician, and creator  Eric Schwartz  joins Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne for a candid and hilarious conversation about what it actually takes to live a life built on laughter. From early creative impulses to the pressure of performance, Eric shares how joy shows up in his work—and how he protects it in the grind of a nonstop career. Together, the group explores creativity, ego, vu...

In this follow-up to their conversation with Kristi and Katrina from the DK805 podcast, the Chasing Joy crew dives even deeper into the themes that surfaced in Episode 24—healing, identity, self-permission, and the courage it takes to rebuild your life after rupture. Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne pick up right where the last discussion left off, unpacking the emotional weight of transition, the storie...

On this episode of Chasing Joy, Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne sit down with Katrina and Kristi, hosts of the DK805 podcast — two mothers whose friendship was forged through unimaginable loss. Both women lost their sons to fentanyl, and together they’ve built a space for healing, truth-telling, and community. They share how their connection began on a Facebook support thread, how grief reshaped their l...