Mental Fitness Unscripted

Artificial Intelligence is here, and its influence is growing rapidly. While its power and potential are undeniable, it sparks a massive debate—leaving many thrilled about the future and others deeply skeptical. In this episode, we dive headfirst into the AI debate and challenge our everyday thinking about how we use these tools. The Ultimate Question"Are we in control of AI and other technol...

What formal training did you receive to become a good parent? Exactly. For something as important as raising the next generation, you would think there would be all kinds of training required to do it well. Unfortunately, most parents are literally winging it. Doing the best they can with what they know, what they have experienced, and what is popular for the day. That's dangerous at best. A v...

Change is hard. To change anything we do, or to change how we view something (or someone), is an exercise of mental fitness. So, how do we change our minds? That's the subject of today's conversation as we dig into David Bayer's book A Changed Mind. What we find is that we always get to choose how we color the blank page of every person and circumstance in our life. We naturally look f...

It’s surprising how easily we let our need for approval — and our fear of rejection — shape who we become, often without even realizing it. One way to overcome this way of thinking is to consider the difference between being nice and being good. We should focus more on being good for the benefit of others (cui bono in Latin) than being nice because sometimes being good is not nice. Confused? We’re...

What is the most valuable resource? Time. We know this, yet we often live as if time is something to be taken for granted. Guilty. Todd leads our discussion on the idea of time, and it's fascinating. From the science of time, to watchmaking, to the value of time, we cover a lot of ground in a short time - pun intended. I'm reminded that time waits for no one. Time moves forward consistentl...

Speaking from personal experience, most of the time the problem I face is not actually the problem. How can that be? The problem in my face is often a symptom of the real problem. I bet you can relate. But since we live a frantic life of running a hamster wheel, we don't pause long enough to process the root of the problem. Instead, we exhaust ourselves trying to address symptom after symptom...

Does life feel hard? Like many things are "conspiring" against you, making life difficult? You struggle to achieve your goals, or to slay the bad habit. If you nod in agreement, then this episode is for you. All of us are in a season of difficulty that weighs heavily, or we have just come out of a difficult season, or we are not far from the next difficult season. That's reality, and...

Do you get frustrated when the obstacles to your plans and goals pile up in front of you? Me too. Why does it seem like everything is so hard? We are trying to do good things. We are trying to become better and do right, but it's hard. The topic today is perseverance, which is persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. The truth is that we practice perseve...

What is mental fitness and why do we even care? Our mind naturally goes to the negative, especially when circumstances conspire against us, blocking our plans and goals. We can kick rocks, become discouraged, and despair, or we can exercise mental fitness: overcoming obstacles, choosing right when it's hard, conquering our mind, and believing the best. We talk about mental fitness in all aspec...

Repentance isn't a word we hear every day. And like many words these days, its definition may be clouded by modern vernacular. We'll clear that up today, so buckle up. Being sorry and repenting are NOT the same thing. We know this because we find ourselves saying sorry for the same things over and over. To repent is to turn 180 degrees and head in a different direction. It's the next s...

Do you know the best way to dress for cold weather activity? We talk about cold weather gear and the benefits of natural fibers like wool. Sometimes less is more for dressing to be outside. We also covered some cold weather items to keep in your car. The key takeaway is that we can dress to be outside in the cold weather, so don't be so afraid of it. Doing so is a simple way to practice being...

Do you want more courage? Probably, because being afraid is not fun. "But I could never do that!" is what we say to ourselves all the time when we see some crazy video clip of a heroic rescue or insane stunt. But courage it much more thanphysical stunts, and it's something we can all grow in. Growing in courage is important too, as we discuss in this episode. Doing the right thing ev...

Words matter. Defining terms accurately matters. Todd and I discuss a definition of discipline I came up with to help me. Maybe it can help you too. But having discipline is not the end. For what are you disciplined? What standard or value does your discipline pursue, because that matters a lot. For me, discipline is systems operating consistently.* Break that down: SYSTEMS - NOT goals, but the pr...

Where do ideas come from, and how do you know if your idea is good or bad? Todd and Chad discuss this mental fitness thought with outcomes that may surprise you. I hope this episode leaves you with wisdom and encouragement for processing your ideas and reducing the overwhelm and confusion that can come with the uncertainty about where to take action when inspiration strikes. PS Please check out my...

I recently presented an online class at work to review the main ideas in the popular book Atomic Habits by James Clear. In this episode, we discuss some follow-up ideas to that presentation (link to the recording is below), such as: -Identity shapes your habits and your habits shape your identity -Learn to work with how we are made (and how our brains work) instead of against our nature to build h...

In typical Unscripted fashion, we tackle two unrelated topics that are sure to sharpen you. In typical Unscripted fashion, we tackle two unrelated topics that are sure to sharpen you. We open this episode with a rabbit trail about the power of music. We've said before that words matter, and when words are put to music, our minds can't help but absorb andinternalize them. Science proves thi...

My friend and mentor, Dennis Rabb, meets with me to talk about his story and how miracles have shaped his spiritual journey. Dennis has some great stories, from hitchhiking to car crashes and other wild near-death experiences. We recognize that if we are paying attention, we can see miracles happening all around us. Is it the hand of God, or something else? Do you believe in the unseen world, the...

Here is the status of all people. You are either in a storm (crisis, challenge, or stressful period of life), or you just came out of one. And guess what? Another is coming. You can count on it. So what can we do when we get a moment to catch our breath between storms? Most of our waking life is on auto pilot. We live unconsciously by our habits (good and bad) and they will take us to the easy,laz...

Continuing our conversation from the last episode about healthy living and exercise, we hope to encourage your healthy living journey. Tune is as we talk about: 1. Practical/ functional fitness - being able to do what you want to or what you need to when called on -roll around on the floor with the grandkids -work in the yard without negative consequences on your body -enjoy the physical activitie...

A main reason why most people struggle with their physical fitness is that they are doing it all wrong. Eeek! You must have your mind right first, and that's hard work. And it's why the focus of Team Quadzilla is Mental Fitness. Get your mind right, and all the good things happen from there. Change your thinking, change your life, your health, your relationships, etc. In this episode, we b...

Communication is at the heart of all healthy relationships. Oftentimes, conflicts in relationships occur due to misunderstandings in communication. What others receive in our communication may not match the intended message.  In this episode, we work through this common communication breakdown with practical tips to improvecommunication, resolve conflicts, and restore relationships. We address que...

Change is hard. Trying new things can be stressful. Being uncomfortable is, well, uncomfortable. In such situations, often our first response is, "I can'tdo it." Or, "That's crazy." And we talk ourselves out of taking action. That's normal because our brains are hardwired to pursue pleasure, comfort, and safety. So how can we beat this natural inclination and confid...

Nobody likes to admit they have insecurities, but we all have them. Sometimes, we wear our insecurity like a badge and project our insecurity as humility. In this episode, Chad & Todd discuss the danger of wearing false humility as a maskfor insecurity.  "Oh, I'm not good at that. I could never be this or do that," we say. But there is a huge difference between humility and insec...

So how can we confidently respond when faced with a difficult circumstance? Success favors the prepared, so how can we prepare for life's inevitable trouble?   One answer is to ask, "What's next?" This is much better than the 'deer in the headlights' response that often hits us when we are surprised by the circumstance. It's a proactive response versus panic, despair,...

I'm so happy to share this man's wisdom with you. Dave has been a mentor of mine for several years. His encouragement and wisdom from experience have been invaluable to meas I navigate marriage, parenting, and career. Here's just a peek at some of the topics he addresses: -The importance of spending time with your family -The call to invest in the younger generation, to be a mentor -Th...