The Best Podcast

After my long 10 day hiatus without a podcast episode, I did another podcast with Lindsay Johnson! We hit a bunch of topics today, including what it’s like to be a 1st generation student, changes she has gone through in college, being to the point, food, how she uses social media and if she thinks it adds value to her life, girl problems that guys don’t fully get, and dealing with frustration. As...

PSA - This is one of the best podcast episodes I’ve ever recorded. After living together for 3 years, Austin and I finally sat down to record a conversation. This was a really cool talk for so many reasons. We started by talking about his origin story, then jumped into talking about what it’s like to live with someone for three years, how we have experienced growth and change over that time, healt...

Wow. What a podcast that was. I finally got to sitting down with Grant Colip, a budding geologist, Spanish speaker, traveler, and incredible friend. Today’s conversation was quite fun, as I got to dive into so much about Grant. We talked about his upbringing, his experiences traveling, his Spanish knowledge, his ambitions, how he deals with stress and difficulty, the challenge of uncertainty, and...

Today I got the chance to sit down for a bit with Ariel Florendo. Ariel and I have known each other since our first year at university 3 years ago, when we lived in the same hall and got to know each other through conversations in passing, weekend chilling, meals together, and playing racquetball. Ariel is a really great guy who has done so much since the year we met. He has traveled a ton, picked...

Today’s podcast was a really interesting one. In this episode, I sit down with Patrick Muradaz, a friend of mine who I met in Barcelona this past summer. We talk about his origin story, in which he tells me about some important learnings which he has had through backpacking and traveling, which led to a broader conversation of his most important learnings in life in general and his hopes for the f...

A great friend has returned! This is one of the most thoughtful podcasts I’ve done so far. We chop it up about why stats are important, dealing with stress, dealing with people who won’t change, not caring about other people’s opinions, avoiding drugs and drinking, and LGBT stereotypes. We hit a wide range of topics, so I hope you enjoy all of the different things we hit on. Much Love ❤️ ! PSA - c...

“Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.” - Marcus Aurelius. // This quote has spoken volumes to me. We must be like the promontory. When adversity and challenges crash into us over and over again, we must not lose our form. We must showcase our strength in the face of these, like the promontory does against th...

Today was momentous. Jesus became the first four-time guest on The Best Podcast. The other day, he sent me an article about the guitarist of the band “The Maine” to provoke some thoughts and reflections for us to discuss. I really liked the article and it resonated with me a lot. It hit on a lot of topics we both are interested in, so it served as the inspiration of today’s conversation. We touch...

This was a fun one. Layne is my housemate, and over the past couple years I have gotten to see how much of an energetic, fun, and interesting guy he is. We’ve shared plenty of laughs, as you’ll hear in this episode, and we’ve also shared plenty of deep thoughts, which you’ll hear in this episode as well. If you want a laugh or to be thoughtful for a bit, I strongly recommend you listen to this. Mu...

 At 21 years old, my grandma lost her mother and was left to be the leader of two families, the family of her mother and her own new family which she was just starting.  At 21, she had been married for 2 years, she had been working for even longer, she had a child on the way, and she had to make a number of life-changing decisions.  Sitting down with her tonight to talk about what t...

This is for anyone out there who doesn’t feel comfortable being their truest selves. For those who struggle to open up to others and be vulnerable. For those who have had a mask up for too long just to be accepted by others. Whether this is you or not, listen to this. I want you to mean something to someone. Think about who you really are at your deepest level. Are you that person with others? Are...

Today’s episode was a really meaningful one for me. The concepts of Radical Truth and Radical Transparency from Ray Dalio’s book Principles have resonated with me for quite some time. In this podcast, I discuss these concepts and why they would be so beneficial for all of us. Much Love ❤️ Talk soon!

Oh no. We’re going to talk about politics now? Yes! But we’re not going to be talking about politics in the way that you see it on the news. That’s not how it should be happening. In this episode, I break down the biggest issue I think we have in terms of politics: putting each other into boxes. If you’re curious about what this means, listen to my short episode about it. I promise that it’ll spar...

Today’s episode provides a little bit of a twist. I look at a different angle of what it means to be a bandwagon fan, why we should stick with our teams at their lowest points, and how being a bandwagon fan would not make sense in most other contexts of life. I hope you enjoy it! Talk soon. Much Love ❤️

Today’s podcast is a key point in the road. Thanks to you, your engagement, and your attention, the Best Podcast has hit 10,000 downloads. This is an exciting milestone. However, it is not the most important one. The Best Podcast is more than metrics. It’s a continuous conversation about topics that we may not think about as often as we should. It’s a different side of the coin. It challenges me,...

In a shorter and more direct episode, I discuss the impact of building principles in our lives. I’ve been diving into my work with the Mindset Assessment Project and the JMU Honors College lately, and it’s been so moving for me. I am so fortunate to have these opportunities at this point in my life, and I’ve been doing my best to take advantage of them. A key facet of taking advantage of these opp...

Another conversation coming at you today for the second day in a row! Lindsay Johnson and I talk through her origin story, growing up with divorced parents, long-distance relationships, learning how to say no, independence, and what she hopes to do in her future. This was a really fun conversation, and Lindsay is super insightful on all of these topics. I hope you enjoy our conversation! As always...

In today’s podcast, Daylan returns for our second conversation. We chop it up about sports, culture, the media, the power of athletes, the role and responsibilities of athletes in the world, and how important it is to set an example for others. As always, it was an engaging conversation and it was a joy to hear his thoughts on the topics we discussed. Daylan also just launched his own podcast call...

Today’s episode is short and sweet, but it definitely hits an important point. Find your blind spots (the things that you are ignorant to and the weaknesses that you have). When you know what your blind spots are, you’ll be able to seek out others who have strengths that complement your weaknesses. Invest into those relationships to grow as a person, as it is likely that some of your strengths wil...

Today’s episode is focused on my thoughts about materialism and why we should give it up. This episode is also a commitment on my end to not being a materialist, and to always be held accountable to this standard. I hope you enjoy it! Much Love ❤️ 

Today’s podcast is inspired by Austin Poff, a great man and friend. “No reason to stay is a good reason to go.” This quote was brought to my attention by Austin, who happens to very much enjoy Camila Cabello’s music. When I heard this lyric for the first time, I was taken a back. When I thought about it further, I realized that it is a very powerful line that would resonate with a lot of people. T...

Today’s podcast episode is quite intense. As a 21 year-old, thinking about and talking about death shouldn’t happen. It is something that most people my age avoid and are told to not do because we have “so much more life left to live.” However, our conceptions of death can drastically change how we live our lives day-to-day. With this in mind, I recorded today’s episode. This is easily one of the...

Today’s podcast was a cool one for me to record and talk through. This “equation” has been stuck in my head for a long time, and ruminating on it has brought me some great clarity on the topic of happiness. In this talk, I break down this “equation” of happiness, what it means at its basic and deeper levels, and why it does NOT mean that you have to be a pessimist to be happy. In fact, as you’ll s...

Today’s conversation with James Gilliam is an eye-opening one. His story is one of focused identity formation, grappling with pain and death, transition, faith, embracing struggle, digging deep, and keeping things in perspective. His life experiences are heavy, but the grace with which he has dealt with them and learned from them is to be admired. Although James and I disagree on some points about...

Today’s podcast discusses a topic that has never been mentioned on the podcast before. This topic is momentum. Mo • men • tum: the impetus and driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events. Momentum is something that we all want to build. We want to feel like we’re in flow, finishing the things that we want to get done, making progress toward our goals, and just moving f...