Hold This Thought

Vaccines | Medical Trauma | Public Trust | Fatherlessness | Forgiveness Taylor Hayes is a physician assistant, educator, researcher, author, wife, mother, and deep thinker. In this conversation we explore everything from social media algorithms, public trust, and healthcare to grief, trauma, parenting, faith, creativity, and forgiveness. Taylor shares what it was like growing up without her father...

On Set w/ Chadwick Boseman | Professional Baseball | Coaching | Grass (yep, grass) | Parenting | Failure Former pro athlete, actor, and coach Danny Sawyer joins Hold This Thought for a wide-ranging conversation on sports, life on a movie set, fatherhood, discipline, resilience, and the long-term impact adults have on young athletes. Drawing from years of experience on the field, in performance, an...

In the first ever 3-person episode of Hold This Thought, I sit down with my two brothers for a wide-ranging conversation about AI, cyber security, history, sports, family, and the memories that shape us. One brother works in education. One works in cyber security and AI. I approach the world from the creative side. That mix led to a conversation that moved from childhood stories and sports to rogu...

Bible Translation | Faith | Theology | Leadership | Missions | Loneliness | Legacy Dr. Don Allen joins Hold This Thought for a conversation about faith, leadership, purpose, legacy, and the realities of building something that lasts. From planting a church with just six people to leading ministries that now reach more than 218 countries, Dr. Allen shares the story behind Church At War Hill, Victor...

No Father| Pain | Responsibility | Growth | Purpose | Legacy What happens when you grow up without a father? In this episode, we explore a story that challenges the assumption that a broken home leads to a broken future. From never seeing his dad at a single game to being surrounded by coaches and men who stepped in, this conversation uncovers how influence, consistency, and perspective can shape...

Foster Care Story | Adoption | Creative Entrepreneurship | Audio Engineering | Music Production | Advertising Career In this episode of Hold This Thought, Christian sits down with Chris Borelli for a deeply honest conversation about music, trauma, creativity, and perspective. What starts as a discussion about audio engineering and podcast production slowly unfolds into a powerful story about foste...

Character | Worship | Near-Death Experience | Grilling Meats | Homosexuality In this deeply personal episode of Hold This Thought, Christian sits down with worship leader and longtime mentor Jenahl Alexander for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, suffering, worship, excellence, doubt, leadership, and the moments that shape who we become. What begins as a conversation about in-ear monitors an...

Comedy Conversations | Trivia | Personal Stories | Friendship Energy | Curiosity We started with a “simple” trivia game… and somewhere along the way it turned into whatever this is. No real structure, no clean agenda, just two people committing a little too hard to the moment. Questions get missed, answers get overconfident, bits start forming out of nowhere… and somehow it all works. Underneath t...

App Trail Thru-Hike | Adventure | Solitude | Resilience | Nature | Presence This episode of Hold This Thought dives deep into what happens when you remove yourself from modern life and finally confront your own mind. Miller Hollstein shares the story of leaving everything behind to live in the woods for five months to thru-hike the ENTIRE Appalachian Trail (2200 miles), searching for clarity, purp...

Cults | Dopamine | Smartphones | Video Games | Sex | Biology | Faith | Protestantism | Catholicism In this episode of Hold This Thought, I sit down with Grant Adams for a raw, wide-ranging conversation that cuts straight through modern life. We talk about why he ditched his smartphone for a flip phone, how technology is quietly reshaping our brains and relationships, and what we lose when convenie...

Sustainable Wellness | Faith & Redemption | Fitness Mindset | Personal Growth | Real Life Transformation This episode explores the deeper layers of health, identity, and transformation through a powerful and honest conversation with Sarah Carter. We begin with her early life, from being born in Spain to growing up in an active family, and how those experiences shaped her independence and minds...

Identity Formation | Competitive Psychology | Cultural Insight | Life Transitions | Human Resilience This episode explores the intersection of identity, competition, and perspective through a wide ranging conversation with Justin Sundara. We begin with his unconventional relationship with anime and storytelling, unpacking how symbolism and character arcs shape the way we interpret meaning in our o...

Immigrant Experience | Cultural Perspective | Global Travel | Generational Responsibility | Aging And Care In this episode of Hold This Thought, I sit down with Gonzalo Manotas to explore identity, culture, and what really matters over the course of a lifetime. Gonzalo shares what it was like growing up as an immigrant in the United States, arriving without speaking English and navigating early ch...

Why do some stories stay with us… while others completely fall apart? In this episode of Hold This Thought, we start with childhood favorites like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and follow the thread all the way through modern movies, video games, and adaptations. Along the way, we unpack why certain stories resonate across generations and why others miss the mark entirely. From James Bond...

What happens when you sit down with someone who operates at an extremely high level… and ask them life’s hardest questions? In this episode, I sit down with Andrew Malooley, a 4.5 GPA valedictorian and biomedical engineering student at Georgia Tech, to explore philosophy, ethics, and the kinds of problems that don’t have clear answers. We dive into the trolley problem, the role of AI in decision-m...

Human Behavior | UX Design | AI Future | Gaming Psychology | Digital Life What if the way you think, interact, and make decisions today was shaped long before you realized it? In this episode of Hold This Thought, we explore how the world you grew up in—especially during your teenage years—quietly programs your expectations, behaviors, and even how you use technology. From UX design and human psyc...

Imposter Syndrome | Seat at the Table | First Patient Loss | Comfort Vs Competence What does it really feel like to sit at a table you worked your whole life to reach… and still question if you belong there? In this episode of Hold This Thought, I sit down with a NICU nurse turned Director of Women’s Services, Keri Boatright, to unpack the internal battle of imposter syndrome and the perspective s...

Divorce | Gen-Z | Racism | Slavery | Faith College student Connor Harris joins the show for a thoughtful conversation about identity, perspective, and curiosity. Growing up with divorced parents shaped much of Connor’s early life, and he shares how those experiences influenced the way he approaches responsibility and independence today. We also explore how Gen Z actually uses social media, the rol...

Real Estate Investing | Financial Discipline | Retirement Strategy | Long-Term Wealth What if building real wealth wasn’t about making more money… but using what you already have differently? In this episode of Hold This Thought, I sit down with Ray Stewart to unpack how he quietly built a real estate portfolio over decades- and why most people get it completely wrong. We talk about losing money i...

Law Career | 10-Years Sober | Fired | Comeback Story | $40m For Clients What do you do when everything falls apart at once? Eric Sterling’s story isn’t a highlight reel, it’s a collapse, a rebuild, and a refusal to stay down. From getting kicked out of a study abroad program after battling alcohol… to rebuilding his life and finishing law school… to becoming a top performer at a major firm… …and t...

Chemistry | Brewing | Coaching | Evolution By day, Chris works in chemistry. By night, he brews with precision and patience under the name Big Beaker Brewing 🍺🧪. What started in 2020 as a curiosity became a disciplined pursuit of better beer, refining process, dialing in fermentation, and chasing flavor with a scientist’s mindset. But this conversation goes beyond the mash tun. We talk about coa...

Content Strategy | Psychology | Entrepreneurship | Building Systems | Social Media Growth What if the difference between getting ignored and going viral… is just ONE sentence? In this episode of Hold This Thought, I sit down with Brock Wagner to break down the psychology behind attention, content, and building something from nothing. We dive into how a single hook generated over 160,000 views, why...

Actor | Builder | Outdoorsman | Defender In this episode of Hold This Thought Podcast, Jeff Tullis joins me and we dive into his time working as an extra on major film sets, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and what you learn observing well-known actors from the background. Then we move into construction and the 2007 - 2008 housing crash, where he experienced firsthand how quickly markets can tur...

Weddings → YouTube | Do It Scared | Creative Burnout | Building Consistency | Find Your Why What happens when you finally “make it” … but still feel like a fraud? In this episode, I sit down with Ben Johnson to talk about the side of content creation no one really prepares you for. We dive into imposter syndrome, burnout, creative fatigue, and the constant question every creator wrestles with: “Is...

Intern to Partner | AI & Autonomous Futures | Investing and FIRE | Fatherhood, Health, & Home Birth Isaiah went from marketing intern to partner at Blueprint Digital Marketing by learning how to think in systems and build income producing assets instead of just chasing clients. We talk business strategy, creative leverage, and then pivot into AI. What happens when systems become autonomous...