Beyond the Gray

People will talk about politics. They'll talk about money. They'll even talk about their drinking. But faith? That's where most people go silent. In this episode of Beyond the Gray, Kari Schwear sits down with Joshua Jurkovich, entrepreneur, ultra-runner, and founder of Level10 Growth and Kingdom Impact Network, for one of the most honest, unapologetic conversations this podcast has ever had. They...

Millions of people are currently taking a GLP-1 medication or an antidepressant. Many of them are also drinking. Very few of them have been told what's actually happening inside their bodies when they do. That changes today. In Episode 20 of Beyond the Gray, Kari Schwear breaks down the real risks of mixing alcohol with GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, as well as com...

What happens when you feel the urge or nudge to drink and you know you are better off without it? Back in 2018, I was 18 months sober, standing in a grocery store, staring at a display of Chardonnay right next to the fish counter. My mouth was salivating. My brain was screaming, "Just buy it." And I did the only thing I could think of. I yelled "STOP" out loud. In the middle of the store. In front...

You already know something is off. You've known for a while. And yet you keep hoping it'll somehow fix itself while you pour another drink to make it easier to not think about it. Sound familiar? This episode is for you. In this solo episode, Kari Schwear breaks down the pattern she sees in high-performing men over and over again. One area of life is thriving while everything else is quietly colla...

My dad passed away the morning of this recording. This episode wasn't planned. I hit record because something happened this week that made everything else feel insignificant. Twenty-three family members gathered in Branson, Missouri. We laughed, we played games, we sat on the porch together. My dad told my husband, "You won't see me tomorrow, Rob. I'm going home." We didn't know how true those wor...

We went away for our 37th wedding anniversary and we didn't eat a single thing for three days. No food, no phone, no noise. Just water, sea salt, worship music, and God. And what happened changed us both in ways we're still processing. In this episode, Kari and her husband Rob walk you through their three-day water fast, day by day. This wasn't about weight loss or a cleanse. It was a spiritual di...

You raised them to leave. And they did. So why does it feel like grief? In Episode 15 of Beyond the Gray, Kari Schwear talks about the gray area that nobody warns you about: the sandwich generation. That strange middle ground where your kids are grown and thriving, but your parents are aging or already gone. And you're standing in between, proud and grieving at the same time, wondering, "Who am I...

He wasn't drinking because he loved alcohol. He was drinking because he didn't think people would like the real him. In Episode 14 of Beyond the Gray, Kari welcomes Billy Lahr, host of the Mindful Midlife Crisis podcast, joining live from Seoul, South Korea. Billy shares his full story: growing up in small-town Minnesota where the bar was the Sunday restaurant, building a drinking identity in coll...

There's a name for what you've been feeling. You're not an alcoholic. But you're not fine either. And nearly one in four American adults are in the exact same place right now. In Episode 13 of Beyond the Gray, Kari Schwear delivers the foundational episode she says she should have recorded first. She breaks down exactly what gray area drinking is, where the term originated (a 2011 NIH-sponsored st...

If you only had three years left, what would you change? Not hypothetically. Actually. Would you keep drinking the way you are? Would you stay in the marriage you've been checked out of? Would you keep putting off the conversations, the reconciliation, the real work of becoming who you're supposed to be? In Episode 12 of Beyond the Gray, Kari Schwear delivers the wake-up call that most people over...

What if the label that was supposed to save you is actually the thing keeping you stuck? Ten years ago, Kari Schwear quit drinking. She wasn't in crisis. She wasn't hitting rock bottom. She was a successful, functioning woman who knew something was off. And when she looked for help, the world gave her one answer: Alcoholics Anonymous. She went. She did the work. And she got something genuinely val...

You're not sleeping as well as you think you are. And if you're waking up at 3 a.m. with your brain on full blast, this episode is going to explain exactly why, and what to do about it. In Episode 10 of Beyond the Gray, Kari welcomes her very first guest: holistic sleep coach Morgan Adams. Morgan spent nearly a decade dependent on Ambien, survived breast cancer twice, and has since built her caree...

"Why am I drinking more than I used to? Why do I keep saying I'll cut back and then I don't?" If those questions have been quietly circling in the back of your mind, this is the episode that's going to meet you exactly where you are. Kari walks through the Transtheoretical Model of Change, the psychological framework that shows you exactly which stage you're in right now and why every single one o...

You love your spouse. But do you actually like them right now? If that question caught you off guard, you're not alone. And your marriage isn't over. Something important is just trying to get your attention. In Episode 8 of Beyond the Gray, Kari and her husband Rob sit down for a raw, real conversation about why long-term marriages drift apart, especially after 50. Not with a blow-up. Not with an...

You built the career, the business, the life. You lead well and you provide. So why does it still feel like something's missing? Why do so many successful men over 50 still feel restless, disconnected, and unsettled even when life looks great on the outside? In this episode of Beyond the Gray, Kari Schwear talks about the one area most people avoid but almost everyone feels: the spiritual disconne...

"What will people think if I'm not drinking?" If you've ever asked yourself that before a business dinner, a networking event, or a golf outing, you're not alone. And you're not weak for thinking it. You're human. In this episode of Beyond the Gray, Kari breaks down what she calls the social trap and why the fear of not belonging is one of the biggest things keeping people stuck in gray area drink...

You told yourself you'd only have two. By the third glass, you're already negotiating with yourself about tomorrow. Sound familiar? In this episode of Beyond the Gray, Kari breaks down why moderation becomes a mental trap for gray area drinkers and why it's actually harder than quitting. You'll learn about the science behind decision fatigue, why your willpower disappears by the end of the day, an...

What happens when one spouse starts growing… and the other doesn’t? In this episode, Kari and her husband Rob share the honest story of what happened when their 30-year marriage hit a breaking point. They discuss resentment, identity shifts, turning 50, communication gaps, and the hard conversations most couples avoid. If you feel like you and your partner are drifting apart, this episode offers c...

Why do you keep starting over — even when you’re motivated? In this episode, Kari explains why willpower isn’t the issue. Identity is. If your habits keep repeating — whether it’s drinking, discipline, marriage, or leadership — this conversation will help you understand the real driver behind your behavior and how to consciously step into the next version of yourself. If this resonates and you wan...

It’s not about the alcohol. It’s about the relief. In Episode 2 of Beyond the Gray , Kari explains why gray area drinking isn’t a willpower problem — it’s a pattern problem. If you’ve ever promised yourself you wouldn’t drink… and then did anyway, this episode breaks down why that happens. You’ll learn: How habits are wired in the brain Why stress triggers autopilot drinking Why moderation feels e...

You’re not an alcoholic. But you’re not fine either. In this powerful opening episode of Beyond the Gray , Kari speaks to successful men over 50 who feel “off” despite having built a good life. This isn’t about rock bottom. It’s about clarity. You’ll learn: What gray area drinking really is Why alcohol affects your body differently after 50 The science behind sleep disruption and anxiety rebound W...

Beyond the Gray is for high-functioning men over 50 who look like they have it all together — but know something's off. Host Kari Schwear works with business owners and leaders, navigating gray area drinking, stress, habits, relationships, faith, and identity. No rock bottom,  just that quiet "I can't keep doing this forever" feeling. Every episode gives you a real mindset shift, tool, or strategy...