The Pop Out

When the world puts you in a box, and tells you who you are, but it doesn't match your reality.

Just a heads up: this episode deals with my struggles with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. None of this is easy to talk about or listen to, especially if you've been or are in that dark abyss. So best to get yourself ready.

Yes, that's their actual nickname for me. And maybe there's some truth to it. Time to reflect.

My life centered on church, whether I wanted it to or not. So saying goodbye to church.... this feels like mourning.

I've spent too much of my life trying to be someone I'm not. At first, it starts out as an act, but when you play the game for too long, you start to lose yourself and become nothing but the mask you've put on.

I've lied to myself in all my dating relationships, and because I never confronted myself about those lies, I ended up leaving a trail of confusion and hurt on others. I'm late, but I need to be honest with myself.

Poverty often comes with crime and violence. Not always. But when it does, it does something to your perception of the world....

If you grew up in poverty, you know what it does to you. It's not about just not having enough. It's about how it impacts the way you engage with people and the rest of the world.

Welcome to a new series. This one is different; this one is surgical. The patient is me. And maybe it will be you.

I get bored during office hours, not because students are boring me, but because there aren't any students who come.

Simply put: everyone should seek out professional mental health. It's not about something being wrong with you or needing fixing. It's about getting support that you probably won't get elsewhere because others aren't trained to listen to and understand the emotional life of humans in ways professionals can. Your mental, physical, and cognitive health are all interdependent. Don't just focus on lea...

Dominos is an offense to pizza, and Raising Cane's sauce is garbage. Yes, I said it.

Be Curious, Not Judgmental. Be present in the here and now; engage with curiosity with what is in front of you. Instead of being wrapped up in your own mind, be in the world around you to experience it fully.

Sorry, just being honest. I like community college students more than the ones who go to four-year colleges straight from high school. But now, I think I know why.

You can't make it through life alone. What made you think you can make it through your educational journey alone? Though it is perfectly common for people to avoid uncomfortable conversations and to leave themselves vulnerable to critique, these encounters with others are necessary for us to become a better version of ourselves. But who should we turn to, and how should we lean on them?

Be honest with yourself. Don't act like you care if you aren't willing to put your money where your mouth is. It's offensive to people who put in real work.

You don't control as much as you think you do, but you also control more than you think you do. It's time to reflect on the limitations we set on ourselves, and instead take control to set limitations for ourselves, in your education and in your relationships.

It's not that big a deal. I promise.

Have you ever thought of how you think of yourself? Do you ever describe yourself as smart/dumb, good/bad, caring/mean? It's perfectly normal for people to give themselves narratives and fixed identities. Yet, it's simply not true. Moreover, viewing ourselves in this manner does nothing to help us become the kind of person that we would like to be, to develop skills and ideas and be motivated to c...

"Undocumented immigrants" is not some PC, woke ideology. It's just a more accurate term, at least more accurate than "illegal." Let me explain.

Art is NOT subjective. What you like is not the same as what is good. Period. Stop conflating the two.

What gives rise to your feelings? Is it specific situations? What about the situation? Knowing what and where your feelings are coming from will help you better learn to manage and address them in a healthy way, freeing you to learn without any barriers.

We are not creatures born with an understanding of our feelings. We need to be taught what we are feeling by learning to name our feelings. So it's not surprise that when we are not taught and practice how to name our own feelings, we have a hard time accurately identifying and managing those feelings. The result is that those feelings are left unresolved and continue to impact our lives, includin...

Tech bros are either lying to you or just complete idiots.

Introduction to a new series! The focus for most students when they study with learning is to identify what they are doing in their learning process and make changes, e.g. better learning strategies, improving habits. Yet the often unspoken reality is that as human beings, much of learning has nothing to do with the cognitive side, but rather the emotional. There is plenty of research that all poi...