The Common Ground Podcast

Suicide to Purpose: The Moment His Daughter Saved His Life | Earnest James | Ep. 50 What do you do when grief becomes so overwhelming that you begin to believe the people you love would be better off without you? In Episode 50 of The Common Ground Podcast , John "Philly" Fletcher and Sydney Nicole sit down with TEDx speaker, mentor, mental health advocate, and host of Deal to Heal with E...

What Life Is REALLY Like in Iran | An Iranian Journalist Tells the Truth | Mojdeh Kashani | Ep. 49 What is life really like inside Iran? Most people know Iran through headlines, politics, or social media. But what's it like to grow up there, build a career, leave everything behind, and start over in another country? In Episode 49 of The Common Ground Podcast , John "Philly" Fletcher...

There's No Shame in a Dollar: The Money Mindset Holding You Back | Andrew Quebbemann | Ep. 48 What if your biggest financial obstacle isn't your income, your debt, or the economy? What if it's your relationship with money? In Episode 48 of The Common Ground Podcast , John "Philly" Fletcher and Sydney Nicole sit down with financial advisor Andrew Quebbemann to explore the emot...

Burned Out, Addicted, and Successful—Why She Walked Away | Kathryn Eipl | Ep. 47 What happens when you achieve everything you thought would make you happy—only to discover you're still unfulfilled? In Episode 47 of The Common Ground Podcast , John "Philly" Fletcher and Sydney Nicole sit down with holistic health practitioner, CBT life coach, and addiction recovery specialist Kathryn...

How Did I End Up Here? One Man's Journey to Healing | Jeff Kolez | Ep. 46 What happens when life falls apart and you're forced to ask yourself a difficult question: "How did I end up here?" In Episode 46 of The Common Ground Podcast , John "Philly" Fletcher and Sydney Nicole sit down with writer, father, and personal growth advocate Jeff Kolez for a deeply honest conver...

Stay Curious: The Skill That Changes Everything | Darren "Robbo" Robertson | Ep. 45 What if the most important skill for success isn't talent, intelligence, education, or even hard work? What if it's curiosity? In Episode 45 of The Common Ground Podcast , John "Philly" Fletcher and Sydney Nicole sit down with Australian broadcaster, audio engineer, podcaster, craftsman,...

What happens when a kid who struggled in school, got held back in third grade, and grew up in a town of just a few hundred people decides to dream bigger than everyone around him? In this inspiring episode of The Common Ground Podcast, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, documentary producer, author, and entrepreneur Barry Walton shares the remarkable story of how he went from small-town Michigan to Hol...

What happens when faith, horror, creativity, and purpose collide? Can a Christian write horror stories — or does that cross a spiritual line? In Episode 43 of The Common Ground Podcast, author Derail Johnson joins John “Philly” Fletcher and Sydney Nicole for one of the most challenging and thought-provoking conversations we’ve had yet. Derail opens up about his journey from a quiet kid with a mass...

This emotional and eye-opening episode explores one grandmother’s fight to protect her grandson after devastating abuse allegations, a broken family system, and a court process that left more questions than answers. What happens when protecting a child means turning in your own daughter? And what happens when the very system designed to protect children returns them to the environment they were re...

Youth Sports Are Breaking Kids — The Truth Parents Don’t Want to Hear | Ep. 41What happens when a child’s identity becomes tied to their performance? In this powerful and eye-opening episode of The Common Ground Podcast, Shawn Richardson dives into one of the most overlooked issues in today’s culture — the pressure, expectations, and identity crisis being created through youth sports. From travel...

Raised in Foster Care, Shaped by Faith: A Father’s Powerful Life Story | Ep. 40What kind of life can emerge from a childhood marked by abandonment, foster care, and uncertainty? In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Common Ground Podcast, host John “Philly” Fletcher sits down with a very special guest — his own father, Albert Fletcher. Albert shares the remarkable story of being born...

Beaten Childhood, Broken Family—How David Alexander Turned Pain Into Purpose | Ep. 39What does it take to forgive the people who hurt you the most — and still build a life of purpose? In this powerful episode of The Common Ground Podcast, David “ChefSouL” Alexander shares his story of growing up in a violent and broken household, navigating deep childhood trauma, and ultimately choosing faith, for...

Why do so many couples quietly end up in sexless marriages — even when they still love each other? In this eye-opening episode of The Common Ground Podcast, intimacy expert and bestselling author Xanet Pailet joins John “Philly” Fletcher to talk about the hidden struggles many couples face around porn, shame, sexual trauma, emotional disconnection, and dead bedrooms. After spending more than 20 ye...

In this powerful episode of The Common Ground Podcast, John Fletcher and Sydney Curtin sit down with Marquis Williams, co-host of the award-winning You Stuck With Me Podcast, to talk about intentional relationships, faith, communication, and the mindset required to build a lasting marriage in today’s culture. Drawing from his own life experiences, including growing up surrounded by marriage role m...

From Trauma to Transformation: Rocio Aquino & Angel Orengo on Forgiveness, Purpose & The Orchid Method | Ep. 36 What happens when pain, trauma, and life’s hardest experiences become the catalyst for personal transformation? In this powerful episode of The Common Ground Podcast , Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo share their deeply personal journey of healing, self-discovery, and the lessons th...

From Trauma to Transformation: Andrea L. Wehlann on Yoga, Reiki & Inner Healing | Ep. 35 What happens when trauma shapes your life — but refuses to define your future? In this deep and thought-provoking episode of The Common Ground Podcast , Andrea L. Wehlann shares her journey through childhood trauma, emotional pain, spiritual seeking, and the long road toward healing. As a yoga educator, au...

When Your Body Fails but Your Faith Doesn’t: Abigail Gagnon’s Story of Hope | Ep. 34 What do you do when your body stops cooperating — but your faith keeps calling you forward? In this honest and hope-filled episode of The Common Ground Podcast , Abigail Gagnon shares her journey through chronic illness, silent migraines, depression, trauma, and the painful loss of the life she thought she was mea...

From Overthinking to Inner Peace: Shauna Hawkes on Yoga, Nervous System Healing & Self-Trust | Ep. 33 What does it take to stop overthinking, regulate your nervous system, and finally trust yourself again? In this grounded and thought-provoking episode of The Common Ground Podcast , Shauna Hawkes shares her journey from deep emotional pain and stored anger to healing through yoga, embodiment,...

From Meth Addiction to Getting Her Kids Back: Danielle Hart’s 16-Year Recovery Comeback Story | Ep. 32 What does it take to come back after 16 years of meth addiction — and rebuild a life you thought was lost forever? In this raw and hope-filled episode of The Common Ground Podcast , Danielle Hart shares her journey from accidentally trying meth at 17 to getting sober at 33 — and fighting to get h...

🎙️ Episode 31 is LIVE What happens when childhood abuse, family trauma, homelessness, and grief collide with faith? In this powerful episode of The Common Ground Podcast , Braden Perkins shares his raw journey from trauma and Norse paganism to surrendering his life to Christ in a hotel room at rock bottom. #CommonGroundPodcast #BradenPerkins #FaithAfterTrauma #ChristianTestimony #FromAgnosticToChr...

🎙 Episode 30 Losing a Child Changed Everything: A Psych Professor on Grief, Faith & Finding Meaning | Dave Roberts What happens when a father loses his 18-year-old daughter to cancer… and nothing in his psychology training can prepare him for the grief? In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Dave Roberts —psychology professor, grief workshop leader, and co-author of When the Psycholo...

🎙️ EPISODE 29 Title: I Didn’t Know My Worth: Surviving Narcissistic Abuse & Reclaiming Your Life | Conitra Cowans What happens when silence, trauma, and survival slowly erase your sense of self—and how do you find your way back? In this powerful episode of The Common Ground Podcast , we sit down with Conitra Cowans —author, entrepreneur, domestic abuse advocate, and founder of Boujeez Steps Bo...

What does it actually take to stay married for nearly three decades—and still genuinely like each other? In this powerful and refreshingly honest episode of The Common Ground Podcast , we sit down with Byron & Margaret McKie , relationship coaches, podcast hosts, and best friends who have been married for 28 years . Their love story didn’t start with perfection—it started with friendship, hone...

When Co-Parenting Isn’t 50/50: What Really Happens Behind Closed Doors | Clover Johnston When people say “co-parenting,” most assume it means 50/50 . But what happens when it isn’t—when one parent is carrying the emotional load, the logistics, the finances… and the silence? In this episode of The Common Ground Podcast , we sit down with Clover Johnston —co-parenting coach, mom of three, educator,...

What happens when childhood trauma teaches you to confuse chaos with love—and you spend decades trapped in a relationship that slowly erases you? In this powerful episode of The Common Ground Podcast , we sit down with Regina Hiremath , author, life coach, and survivor of a 23-year narcissistic marriage , to unpack what she calls “Onesome” —the journey back home to yourself after emotional abuse....