Cultivate the Ordinary

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, hosts Travis and Jess reflect on the past year, sharing personal anecdotes, funny stories, and lessons learned. They each share a quote for the year that best represented what they were most inspired by or learned in 2025. They discuss the importance of finding beauty in everyday life, the power of quotes, and the significance of community and relationshi...

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, hosts Travis and Jess get back together after a bit of a break from this podcast. They discuss their recent creative projects, including two new podcasts they've launched. This episode centers on the power of writing, the creative process, and what it looks like to publish a book on your own. Books and podcast links below: Jessie is writing her first book...

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary Podcast, host Travis explores the themes of rootedness, geography, and personal history as he reflects on his time growing up on a farm in North Dakota. He shares on the importance of place in shaping identity and the innate human longing for connection to our origins. Through personal anecdotes and reading book excerpts, Travis discusses how experiences i...

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, Jessie and Travis explore some exciting things going on in their lives and how they're finding inspiration in these things. They talk some about the current journey of Travis's brother Jeremy, who has faced significant challenges due to a traumatic brain injury (in 2009). They also share some cool stories of all the things he is doing to bring joy and hop...

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary Podcast, hosts Travis and Jessie explore the theme of beauty through personal experiences, reflections on a recent cruise, and the evolution of their understanding of beauty over time. They discuss moments of astonishment, the connection between beauty and art, and how beauty can serve as a bridge to deeper understanding and connection with the world aroun...

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, host Travis discusses the transformative power of gratitude, especially in the face of personal struggles. He shares his family's recent challenges, including health scares involving his brother, and how these experiences have deepened his appreciation for life's gifts. Through a heartfelt story about his favorite band Carbon Leaf , Travis illustrates the...

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, hosts Travis and Jessie discuss their excitement for the new year, reflecting on personal goals and experiences. They explore the concept of bucket lists, the psychology behind New Year's resolutions, and the importance of identity in forming habits. The conversation emphasizes the need for both motivation and structure in achieving personal growth and se...

In this season finale episode, Travis is joined by his son Asher to talk about curiosity and creativity. Asher sees the world so imaginatively and is full of curiosity. He's also brings the gift of gratitude wherever he is and Travis talks about the ways Asher teaches him as his son. The conversation steers around Asher's insights into drawing and creating and ends with questions around his favori...

In this episode, Travis and Jess talk about cultivating friendship as a centerpiece to healthy marriages. Travis shares about the importance of humor as a tool that connects, heals, and helps us in all kinds of ways. Jess talks about activities that promote connection, togetherness, and friendship. They both discuss a marriage resource and training they've received through the Gottman Institute th...

In this episode, Travis shares about his journey caregiving for his dad when he had late stage dementia. Alzheimers and dementia are brutal diseases that are rapidly rising globally. So many people know a loved one personally dealing with this tragic struggle. Travis also shares about the beautiful moments and lessons learned that can still be gained if we look more closely and pay attention. Trav...

In this episode, Travis and Jess are joined by their oldest son Jay to reflect on life before Jay heads off to college. They talk about fun memories and Jay's unique personality and place in the family. Jay has always been full of charisma and is a natural leader wherever he goes. Travis shares a story about a powerful moment Jay was there for him when he lost his dad. Jess also shares a heartfelt...

In this episode, Travis talks about facing grief head on and holding space for grieving the loss of loved ones in different ways and with all our senses. He shares about how the loss of his dad over two years ago has been impacting him lately. As hard as grief is, Travis sees it as a conduit of connection to God and others and as a gift that helps us remember those we've lost in sometimes profound...

In this episode, Travis and Jess are joined by Dana Adams ( LPC-A) to talk mental health, wellness, and soul care. Dana is a licensed, professional counselor associate and has a passion for mentoring women. Dana is very real and honest about her own story when it comes to her own mental health journey and shares her story of finding wholeness and spiritual transformation. Dallas Willard has been a...

In this episode, Travis is joined by Leah Busboom to talk about her writing journey, creativity, and insights around creating and making things, much of which involves courage and just trying. Leah has become an award winning Indie author on Amazon for her fictional romance novels. Interestingly though, she graduated with an MS in Physics and has worked extensively in tech as she was with IBM for...

You are in for a treat on this one and a bit of a wild wide with our 5 year old guest. Travis and Jess are joined by their youngest kid "Dak" for a conversation around things like: wonder, Ninja Turtles, scary moments, funny sounds, and playing outside. Dak is full of life and imagination and has never met a stranger in his whole life. You'll hear some funny stories, unique insights and an unexpec...

In this episode, Jess is joined by her mom Julie Dotson to talk about her story and journey of navigating suffering and abuse as a child. Despite this, Julie embarked courageously to find healing and has really seen God's goodness and nearness throughout her life. Waking up to her belovedness as a deeply loved child of God is a big theme she talks about. Julie also talks about ways she's learned t...

In this episode, Travis is joined by his father-in-law Jim Dotson to talk about his love of bugs and seeing God in nature. Jim has a deep love of nature and still at age 71 studies it with childlike curiosity. He is an entomologist (insect expert) and worked for many years for Bayer's crop science and pest control departments. He talks about his journey of studying bugs professionally and seeing G...

In this episode, Jess, a trauma-informed resilience coach and a living testament to overcoming mind-body syndrome and chronic pain patterns shares her experiences in the world of chronic pain and its psycho-somatic nature. Travis shares a funny story about his “pet wheel.” Jess provides answers to the most pressing questions surrounding chronic pain and mind-body syndrome. From the impact of stres...

In this episode, Danny Smith joins Travis and Jess to talk about a really common experience so many of us face--chronic pain. Danny shares his personal experiences and story around suffering from debilitating chronic back pain for years. He tried everything to help his back find relief and was at the point of total despair and desperation when he heard about an intriguing book written by a physici...

In this episode, Travis and Jess are joined by Sarah and Jared McCrory to talk about everything from soul care to seeking the easy yoke of Jesus to discovering new purpose and taking courageous risks of faith. They tell relatable stories of wrestling with the trap of a faith identity rooted in performance for God instead of resting in our belovedness as children of God. They also share stories abo...

In this episode, Travis and Jess are joined by pastor and ministry leader Rusty McKie to talk about his upcoming book releasing July 16th, pre-order here: The Art of Stability: How Staying Present Changes Everything Available on Amazon (Digital only) Rusty is an author, pastor, trauma informed coach, and spiritual director. He's a contributor to the Gospel Coalition and founder of Steadfast Minist...

In this episode, Travis interviews Jess about her journey of helping people find wholeness and healing in their lives. As an artist, Jess has a great gift of seeing possibility and beauty in places others may not. Her deep compassion and empathy for others, coupled with her hopeful and creative idealism, make her really skilled in helping people find hope in the places in their lives and stories w...

In this episode, Christa Hardin (MA Counseling) joins Travis and Jess again to talk marriage and ways we can become healthier as individuals and within our marriages. Christa helps us unpack what healthy boundaries are, how to establish them for ourselves, for our marriages, and finally in community. Cultivating the ordinary in marriage happens in small conversations and daily micro chan...

In this episode, Travis and Jess are joined by Christa Hardin (MA Counseling) to talk marriages and relationships. She brings wise perspective on the various stages of marriages and speaks into the common reality of so many couples feeling they have lost their glow, or spark. Using a mountain analogy, she walks us through the basics needs of relationships all the way up to the mountain top of joy,...

In this episode, professional artist Tamara Brown joins Travis and Jess and shares her inspiring story of becoming a self-made artist and entrepreneur after leaving the corporate world. Her unlikely journey led her to gaining a licensed partnership in 2011 with a major national greeting card company and her designs were featured on cards in Walmart, Target, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Today Tamara...