FINE is a 4-Letter Word

Growing up in the Midwest during the 1980s, Kristi Straw was raised with traditional values of being the quiet, grateful “good girl," don’t speak too boldly, and never outshine others. Alongside this mandate to be humble and accommodating came the classic Midwestern lessons in kindness, like let others go first at an intersection, and cook a pot roast for the new neighbors. But lurking underneath...

Growing up in a household where freedom was paramount, Pia (Myo Lischter) Mailhot-Leichter was raised by rebellious, artistic parents. From her mother’s escape from small-town Quebec at 19 on the back of a motorcycle bound for Morocco and New York, to her artist father who lived outside society’s lines, Pia inherited both a fierce independence and a romanticized view of constant movement as the so...

Raised with strong faith values across multiple religious traditions, Meshell Baker discovered early on that the best people she encountered weren't defined by their specific beliefs, but by how consistently they practiced core principles of love, kindness, and service. In the beginning of her career, Meshell was exposed to diverse spiritual communities while selling Yellow Pages advertising in th...

Holiday solo episode today. On what might be a controversial topic, but what the hell. LFG! It’s no secret that this girl loves shopping. I inherited this love from my grandmothers. The small state I grew up in has at least 12 major shopping malls. It’s a challenge right now to not get sucked into all the Black Friday sales. Although my favorite protein powder is 30% off and I can’t guarantee some...

Christopher Bylone grew up on a New Jersey family farm where no one was above mucking stalls, and lending a hand wasn’t optional. His grandfather, decades ahead of his time, taught him that inclusion wasn’t a corporate policy; it was just what decent people did. Those lessons stuck. They carried Christopher from agriculture to analytics to becoming a respected voice in diversity, equity, and inclu...

What happens when a basketball star loses everything from his NBA dream, his identity, and even his beloved coaching job at his alma mater? In today’s episode of "Fine is a 4-Letter Word," you get to meet Coach Matt Doherty, who opens up about the masks we wear, the power of vulnerability, and why saying "I'm fine" can be the most dangerous lie we tell ourselves. Coach Doherty grew up on Long Isla...

Fine is a 4-Letter Word is all about those moments when “fine” is just the mask we wear before life gives us a loud wake-up call. For Massimo Backus, that wake-up call came wrapped in a leadership 360 evaluation that painted a picture he didn’t recognize. The team he thought he was inspiring and supporting saw someone defensive, unsafe to approach, even a bully. Gut punch, right? Raised by creativ...

Hey high achiever, what if the only way to save your life… was to finally stop doing all the things and learn how to be? In this powerful and deeply honest episode of Fine is a 4-Letter Word , we sit down with Karen Brown, a global leader, poet, and mentor who has lived and worked in nearly 90 countries—and once wore her “busyness” like a badge of honor. I know you can relate to that. Raised in Ja...

Stop and ponder for a moment. Is it possible that everything you thought was keeping you “safe” was actually keeping you small? We often look to resolve our issues through self-help books, seminars, and courses. But if they really worked, we’d all be perfectly fit, deliriously happy, worry-free millionaires! No, we need to dig deeper. Angie Tumlinson’s story is a roadmap on how to find that higher...

Welcome to a new season of Fine is a 4-Letter Word . I’m excited for today’s guest because there is no better time for you to meet someone who embodies what it means to live boldly, build with purpose, and refuse to accept “fine” as a final answer. Dr. Kimberly McGlonn spent 18 years as a high school teacher, a job she loved thoroughly. She could have stayed there and finished up an amazing career...

By the time you see this episode, I’ll be in Tanzania, petting lions and riding zebras. (Ok, I KNOW, that’s not likely to happen, but I wish it could!) This week marks a lot of milestones. It’s the one-year anniversary of my father’s passing, and part of my reason for visiting Tanzania is to honor his memory and express gratitude for making sure he left behind the funding I’d need for the trip. It...

If you’re having difficulty finding what you’re looking for in life, have you thought about looking in a completely different place? One that might require walking away from what you have? Of course you can say that’s a lot easier said than done, especially if it feels like there’s not a whole lot out there for you. For Shaun Murphy, known internationally as Mister Motivation, the idea of staying...

A lot of companies use positive-sounding cliches like “people over profit” and “work-life balance”. This sounds good, until somebody pulls the sales reports and says “we need more revenue and profits”. Then, the bottom line becomes the bottom line. This is sometimes served with a side of “you come to work to do work, change the world on your own time”. Now, picture a model where putting people ove...

What if the secret to a peaceful, impactful life is simply refusing to live by anyone else’s rules?” Then imagine what would change if you stopped living for a legacy and started living like today is all that matters. As you get to know Andrew Brummer and his journey toward self-actualization, you’ll discover the seeds harvested with him were planted early. He had a difficult childhood for various...

Do you believe God talks with you? In fact, God is never not talking with you! Depending on your background, beliefs, and point of view, this might sound crazy. If you’re actively involved in any of the 4,223 religions currently practiced around the world today, the elders of whatever your formal congregation is called will probably say you ARE crazy. They might also call you a sinner, a heretic,...

How many battles are you fighting without even being aware you’re in the arena? It might seem like everything is “fine”. Sure, you had struggles, some hard times and bad luck, and things that didn’t quite go your way. Many people have a story or two about the time they got fucked over BECAUSE they were doing the right thing. That boomerang can spin around and hit you when you least expect it, like...

Ever heard the phrase “may you live in interesting times?” Seems applicable these days. And it’s causing a lot of people to live with a constant feeling of anxiety that nags at you, sapping at your energy throughout the day, so by bedtime, you're exhausted but still can’t sleep. Financial stress is a primary source. According to an April 2025 survey, fewer than 45% of Americans say they’re in bett...

If the self-help industry was actually effective, the world would be full of people in perfect health with boundless wealth, always succeeding at everything they set out to do. They'd have perfect relationships, be surrounded by nothing but love and harmony, and know the definition of paradise! The first time things seem a little off, you'd just buy one book, read it, and voila! You'd never need a...

Some people are just born with it. Whether it’s the intelligence you need to thrive, personality traits that make you likable – or your dad owning the company you grow up to become “Chief Servant Leader” of – we all have something going for us. Throughout the 192 (and counting) episodes of Fine Is a 4-Letter Word , I’ve covered stories of pain, struggle, perseverance, and salvation. One of my gues...

Time and again, as you go through nearly 200 episodes of Fine Is a 4-Letter Word , you'll find stories from guests who found themselves disconnected from what's supposed to be a connected world. Your circle of close friends you see all the time - your "besties"? Go back two years and tell me how many of them are the same people. Your avid following on social media who hang on your every post? Dele...

Being an outsider can be challenging – but it can also be your absolute superpower! We all come into the world as a blank slate with the opportunity to form and grow organically. Taking in the world as you find it before being tethered to a rigid or strongly defined set of predetermined beliefs set for you by others. John Morris started out that way too, but unlike most people, he never took on th...

Have you been moving through life feeling like there’s something else out there? You can’t put your finger on it. Even though nothing outwardly seems off, there’s more to the story than you’ve been told or that you can see. Something’s not adding up, but how do you make 2+2=4? For Jill Valdez, this crept up on her in a hundred small ways. Although she went through some experiences that were far le...

What if… one of your core values that should be empowering turned out to be something that held you back? It’s meant to build confidence to try things. But it becomes a sort of low-key vicious cycle that subconsciously holds you back and curbs your ability to change. That silent boomerang would be ironic for a professional change agent, but that same boomerang has been both catalyst and inhibitor...

So, you think you have it all. A great career, a nice apartment, an 800 credit score. You're officially a grown-up with the adult job. The world looks at you and says, "wow, everything's going your way". It seems like everything's fine. What else could you ask for? But it's not fine. You look around and know something's missing. Maybe you mutter some four-letter words - "fine" is a 4-letter word,...

Have you ever found yourself spending a crazy amount of time and energy trying to figure out why things happen in life? Wondering what you did to attract it? Desperately seeking answers right now, and coming up frustrated when you can't make sense of it. But what if the whole plan is like a puzzle that doesn't form a picture until you've been given most of the pieces and taken the time to make the...