Andrew Petty is Dying

Are you giving the things that matter most the attention they deserve? On this podcast, I try to equip us all with the mindset and the means to live with even more guts, gusto, and abandon. Today's episode emphasizes means more than mindset and gives you a simple tool that will help you outsmart the part of you that, for whatever reason, may be dragging its feet on something that you know is impor...

When push comes to shove, what really matters most to you in this life?  That may be the most important question any of us can ask ourselves. And getting the answer right may be more important than almost anything else on this side of the grave.  My guest on this episode shares a perspective on what matters most that she's acquired from almost two decades on the front lines of end-of-life care. I...

What do you consider risky?  A harrowing late-night brush with Death in 2018 changed Andrea Green's life forever. Since then, she's related to risk very differently and lives with even more guts, gusto, and abandon as a result.  This episode will challenge your relationship with risk. And I hope it will encourage you to change your relationship with it, too.    Meet Andrea Andrea lives in Truckee,...

Have you ever frozen in the face of fear? Have you ever dreaded the prospect of the day ahead or a difficult conversation you have to have?  Me, too. A couple of times just recently, in fact.  Maybe you're glad 2021 is in the rearview mirror but dreading what 2022 might bring? You're back on your heels, wary and anxious, waiting for the next catastrophe.  In this episode, I share a simple but powe...

Holiday Reboot Intro This episode is the second of two holiday reboots, specifically selected from the archive with the unique complexities of the holiday season in mind. I sliced and diced here and there and added a smidge, too, in an effort to make this episode as engaging and useful as possible.  This episode happens to be an all-time listener favorite. I picked it for a holiday reboot especial...

As I looked ahead to podcast production around the holidays, I realized my creative juices were running low and my desire for more discretionary time was running high.  So, I cut myself some slack, and I've got something different cooked up for you.  This episode is the first of two holiday reboots of previous episodes, chosen specifically with the unique complexities of this time of year in mind...

It's not a question of WHETHER we'll experience hardship and tragedy in Life; rather, it's a matter of when, what it'll be, and how we'll respond to it.  When hardship and tragedy entered Erica Adams' life, she had a choice to remain a Victim or become a Victor. Her courageous choice to become a Victor has produced hard-won wisdom in Erica that all of us can benefit from.  On this podcast, with Mo...

Can the Mortality Mindset actually change your life?  If my life is any indication, then the answer is a resounding yes. I practice what I preach--not perfectly, of course, but with genuine intent. All this Mortality Mindset stuff isn't just academic or an angle for me; it's personal. This episode was an attempt to articulate and celebrate how the consistent practice of the Mortality Mindset has c...

Life and Death exist side-by-side every day in the ER. Veteran ER physician and life philosopher, David Talbott , has spent almost 30 years in those trenches.  In this episode, David shares what he's learned about how to live well, how to die well, and how to use Mortality to your advantage.  But it's not just his time in the ER that has taught David what he shares with us today. His personal life...

For all of us intent on becoming the person we were made to be and living the lives we were made to live with guts, gusto, and abandon, this episode is a must-listen.  30 years ago, Ryan Baker died a "little death"--little only in the sense that it didn't signify his final departure from this life. In every other sense, though, it was a death indeed, and it permanently divided his life into before...

So...funny story. My guest in this episode not only has a mind-blowing story to share but also the dubious distinction of having dated me more than 20 years ago. Don't worry--she exercised much better judgment in the years that followed!  Lindsay Nohl is just glad to be alive. There were many moments over the past two years when she was not at all sure that she would be much longer. Lindsay's stor...

My older son, Macgray, was a guest on this show way back in May of 2020, and it's been my intention all along for his younger brother, Marshall, to be a guest as well. We've finally pulled that off, and this episode is the result.  As their dad, it's a personal treat to have conversations with both of my boys recorded for posterity. And I genuinely got to know each of my sons better through these...

Today's guest is none other than yours truly, thanks to the creativity and generosity of my guest on episode 38 , Natalie Niksa. It was Natalie's idea to turn the mic around, so to speak, and interview me. I was excited about the idea right away. I'm not actually 100% clear on why I was excited, but I try to follow my energy closely, and when excitement shows up, I do my best to pay attention to i...

It's no small feat to consistently think well of yourself--to regard yourself with warmth and compassion and respect, the same way you would regard someone else you care about. A lot of us wrestle deeply and daily with this challenge. And if you do, then you know how painful it can be. Therapists' full calendars and the existence of jobs like mine attest to this reality.  The implications of not t...

If environmental armageddon doesn't get us first, then a hostile nation's plans for global domination will. Maybe the Republicans will sink the ship and all hands will be lost. Or maybe it'll be the Democrats doing. What about AI--the potential for hyper-intelligent machines to take over the world and eradicate or enslave humanity? You thought COVID was tough? Just wait until the next super virus...

How do you answer life's 3 big questions--first posed on this podcast in episode 018 by coroner Rob Ryg: Where did we come from, what's this life for, and what happens next? My guest in this episode, Natalie Niksa, reveals her answers to the Big Three. And in doing so, she challenges all of us to consider our own answers to those questions. Natalie's answers are far from conventional, and therein...

"I didn't when I coulda, and now I can't when I wanna." An elderly man once spoke those words to a client of mine. The man was obviously saying a lot in that one statement as he reflected back on his life. But at least one of the things he was acknowledging is that he didn't enjoy himself as much as he could have when he was still able to do the things he enjoyed. What a bitter realization!  How o...

This episode is a little different. I'm going to throw out a theory I've been chewing on for a while to see how it lands for you. If I'm at all on the mark with my theory, then you and I are in the midst of a global identity crisis with huge individual implications.  Go with me on this, and I'd love to know what you think.    Two Stories, One Point John's Story John was born in 1952 in a small tow...

What kind of human are you, and how do you know? Who were you MADE to be, and what kind of life were you MADE to live? These can feel like big, daunting questions. Maybe you've actually been seeking better answers to those questions but feel like you've reached a dead end. Or maybe to some of you, they don't feel like particularly useful questions or even very interesting.  Whatever camp you're in...

Can Death bring you back to Life?  If former NFL pro Dennis Franks' story is any indication, then the answer is 100% yes. And his story is packed full of hard-won wisdom for becoming the people we were made to be and living the lives we were made to live.    First, Rabbit Trail to a Big Idea I met Dennis Franks through a mutual friend--or even more accurately, a friend of my parents back when I wa...

When tragedy strikes and grief consumes you, how do you find your way forward again?  Ryan Bramwell is my neighbor. He piqued my curiosity soon after moving in a few doors down--the way your curiosity can be piqued after a few comments here and there in the midst of a casual conversation in the driveway begin to suggest that there's much more to the story than first meets the eye. That curiosity l...

We live in an age and a culture that seems obsessed with productivity. I actually think it's become something of an idol--that is, something that we revere and worship that isn't, in fact, worthy of worship in and of itself. A quick Google search returns a plethora of advice and resources for optimizing productivity, like an article from Lifehack entitled, "50 Ways to Increase Productivity and Ach...

When is the last time a conversation didn't go well between you and someone especially important to you? Or, when was the last time you avoided a conversation that you knew you needed to have--only to have it turn into a bigger and more intense conversation later when the proverbial shit hit the fan?  If you're anything like me and most of the other humans inhabiting Planet Earth, you don't have t...

Are you healthy? How do you know?  In this episode, my guest Penney Megginson helps us redefine health and wholeness--from the inside out.    Introducing Penney Megginson I met Penney when she invited me to be on her podcast, Penney for Your Thoughts , a show about how your thoughts and mindset affect your health, happiness, and performance. Preliminary conversations and my own cyber-sleuthing qui...

Scaly, fire-breathing dragons don't roam the earth anymore. (Wait, did they ever? I, for one, like to think that maybe, just maybe, they did.) But dragons tromp around in our lives nevertheless. These dragons are harder to see but arguably just as deadly.  In this episode, Scott Larson shares how he slayed a dragon he discovered lurking in his own life, stealthily and with life-suppressing intent....