Drop The Shades

Pain can either define you or refine you and this conversation shows exactly how to transform it into strength. In this deeply moving episode of Drop The Shades , host Joseph Elisha sits down with coach, clinical hypnotherapist, and NLP practitioner Mike Oglesbee to unpack trauma, anxiety, suicidal ideation, estrangement, self-love, and the hidden gifts inside suffering. Mike shares his raw person...

What if the key to your energy, mental clarity, recovery, and even emotional health starts in your gut? On this episode of Drop The Shades , Joseph Elisha sits down with nutrition coach, integrative wellness consultant, and ultra endurance athlete Lauren Callahan to unpack the surprising connection between gut health, mental health, performance, and personal growth. After struggling for years to c...

What if most of the thoughts in your head simply are not true? In this reflective solo episode of Drop The Shades , host Joseph Elisha explores the quiet but powerful realization that our minds are master storytellers and not always reliable narrators. From late night cosmic worries to everyday anxieties about work, family, and the future, Joseph unpacks how our brains constantly create stories de...

What if the answers to better health have been hiding in plain sight all along? In this eye-opening episode of Drop The Shades , host Joseph Elisha sits down with actuary, corporate executive, and health advocate Emma Tekstra to challenge the modern healthcare model and explore what true wellness really looks like. From helping Fortune 500 companies redesign benefits programs to healing her son af...

What if the voice you’ve been ignoring is the one you should trust most? In this episode of Drop The Shades, Joseph Elisha sits down with Lenka Schulze to explore intuition as more than a gut feeling. She reframes it as our first sense, one that guides everything from survival instincts to deeper life decisions, relationships, and purpose. Through powerful insights and real-life examples, Lenka sh...

What if the thoughts in your head are not telling you the truth? In this reflective solo episode of Drop The Shades , host Joseph Elisha explores the nonstop noise of the human mind and why so many of our thoughts are misleading, exaggerated, or completely imagined. After a humorous real life moment sparks deeper reflection, Joseph breaks down how our brains create stories that pull us away from c...

What if the deepest trauma in your life became the reason you could heal others? Dr. Robert Bleck shares his harrowing story of enduring years of physical and emotional abuse as a child and how that pain shaped his path to becoming a therapist and professor. Through decades of work, he developed Source Completion Therapy, a process designed to help people finally release the trauma they’ve carried...

What if the key to healing isn’t doing more, but slowing down? In this episode of Drop The Shades, Dr. Emily shares her journey from years of autoimmune disease and medication to finding true healing through functional medicine and lifestyle change. In this conversation with Joseph Elisha, she breaks down how stress, inflammation, and everyday habits silently shape our health and how small, intent...

What if the cracks in your life are the very thing that makes you valuable? In this reflective episode of Drop The Shades , Joseph Elisha explores the Japanese philosophy of kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. Through this powerful metaphor, he reframes pain, failure, and hardship as essential parts of the human story rather than flaws to hide. Instead of chasing perfection, J...

What if recovery is not about willpower, but about belonging? In this powerful episode of Drop the Shades , host Joseph Elisha sits down with Beck Gee, CEO of Breathe Life Healing Centers in Los Angeles, to explore a journey shaped by addiction, secrecy, gender identity, faith, and ultimately, profound self-acceptance. From growing up in an alcoholic home to navigating sobriety, depression, and co...

What if the person you’ve been searching for is you? In this first episode of Drop The Shades , host Joseph Elisha invites you into a quiet moment of reflection. When life gets loud with responsibilities, expectations, and constant noise, it’s easy to drift away from who you truly are. This conversation is about slowing down, getting honest with yourself, and beginning the journey back home. Inste...

This podcast is evolving. In this special episode, Joseph shares the story behind the transition to  Drop The Shades —a new direction focused on helping you quiet the noise, reset your nervous system, and find calm in a chaotic world. Drawing from decades in the operating room, Joseph introduces a deeper, more personal format built around stories, reflection, and practical tools to help you step o...

In this episode of I'll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha shares a reflective monologue on how we think about the mind—as both a noun and a verb. Drawing from personal experience, everyday stressors, and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, he probes the labels we apply to our thoughts and feelings. Joseph explores the practice he calls “dropping the shades,” a method of pausing and r...

In this episode of I'll Ask The Questions Around Here, Dr. Joseph Elisha sits down with pastel artist Robin Frisella, PSA-MP, IAPS/MC, whose still life paintings evoke nostalgia, serenity, and emotional depth. Robin shares how a casual invitation to a pastel class ignited her lifelong artistic journey, transforming a quiet post-childraising chapter into a vibrant second act. The discussion tou...

In this episode of I'll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha speaks with 12-year-old Madelyn Quinn and her parents, about Madelyn’s life as a heart transplant recipient. From enduring multiple surgeries in infancy to becoming a world-ranked junior golfer, Madelyn shares her powerful story of resilience, gratitude, and connection with her donor family. The conversation explores med...

In this episode of I'll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha welcomes back Dr. Joseph Scherger, a leading voice in longevity and functional medicine. The conversation explores the fundamentals of anti-aging strategies—from supplements like metformin, NAD, and resveratrol to stem cell infusions and photobiomodulation. Dr. Scherger shares his insights on healthspan vs. lifespan, dis...

In this episode, I take a hard look at the cost of political assassination — not just in the moment, but in the waves it sends through history and society. From the shot that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and set off World War I, to the attempt on Donald Trump that only deepened his support, we see a pattern: violence doesn’t silence a movement, it often strengthens it. What drives a person to b...

In this episode (upon reflection on an embarrassing moment at home!), Dr.  Elisha explores why silence unnerves us, why we drown it out with constant noise, and why stillness may be the very thing we need most. From Susan Cain’s Quiet and the overlooked power of introverts, to the hush that falls in the operating room when a patient goes under anesthesia, Joseph reflects on what silence reveals, w...

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Elisha explores the Japanese art of Kintsugi—the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold—and how it mirrors the way life breaks us, heals us, and makes us more whole than before. Through stories, reflection, and urgency for our times, he challenges us to rethink our scars not as flaws to hide, but as the very seams that make us strong, valuable, and beautifully h...

Listen to Joseph's thoughts on... thoughts - on this special episode of I'll Ask The Questions Around Here!

In this episode of I'll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha speaks with Anyse Smith — educator, public interest attorney, and fierce advocate for the unhoused. Once in the throes of addiction and homelessness, Anyse recounts the turning point at a Riverside motel that launched her into recovery, community service, and ultimately law school. She shares hard-earned lessons on trust...

In this episode of I'll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha talks with 17-year-old wheelchair tennis champion Charlie Cooper. From being born with spina bifida to ranking #1 in the U.S. and #3 globally in junior wheelchair tennis, Charlie shares the challenges and triumphs that shaped his path. They explore how a chance encounter at a guitar shop led to a life-changing discovery of t...

In this episode of  I'll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha welcomes Dr. Shaan Patel, founder and CEO of Prep Expert and Shark Tank entrepreneur. Shaan shares his inspiring story of overcoming an average SAT score to achieve perfection, launch a successful test-prep business, and become a board-certified dermatologist. The discussion traverses his childhood in a budget motel, hi...

In this episode of I’ll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha sits down with Ron Cukier, whose life story spans survival, loss, and renewal. Born to Holocaust survivors, Ron opens up about the deep family traumas that shaped him and the decades-long battle with alcohol and drugs that nearly cost him everything. He recounts how a wrong number led him to his wife, how hitting rock bottom...

In this episode of  I'll Ask The Questions Around Here , Dr. Joseph Elisha sits down with Brandt Kuhn, Managing Director and Partner at Beacon Pointe. Brandt shares how his early career was shaped by the 2008 financial crisis and what ultimately brought him back to the Coachella Valley. They explore the realities of financial planning, addressing everything from risk and taxes to fatherhood and th...