The Connected Life

Faces of people screaming and college campuses littered with safe spaces are often the things that come to mind when someone makes mention of triggers. A sense of some villain offending an innocent onlooker with words or deeds deemed as triggering is the common perception of the subject. But what if triggers were something much more? In this episode Abi and Justin are joined by their assistant Flo...

There's no definitive manual on how to raise children. Often times parents find themselves feeling overwhelmed and out of control. More discipline, or more rewards, is the usual approach to behavioral correction. But what if learning how to regulate your inner world brought a level of resolution to theirs? In this episode Jonny and Pietze share how their road to self-discovery, and finding healing...

What if resolve and reconnection after years of pain, misunderstandings, and disagreements was possible? What if the relationships that matter the most, yet have been the messiest, could be restored? In this epic finale to our five part series, Jonny and Pietze share about their powerful revelations as Jonny came to the end of himself and exposed his greatest fears. Through serendipity, Jonny expl...

Life occasionally has a way of dealing us one blow after another until we're lying face down in a pool of our own blood and tears. No matter how hard we try, changing our outward circumstances is nothing more than a short term bandaid. But there is hope! In part 4 of 5 Pietze and Jonny expose the hardest parts of marriage and highlight their failed attempts at trying to reconcile their difficultie...

Every great story of fiction has a protagonist and an antagonist, a villain and a hero so to say. But real life isn't quite that cut and dry. Just like a coin, every story has two sides. When each side is examined, often times, black and white suddenly becomes grey. In part three of this five part series, Pietze and Jonny shine a light on their hidden fears that drove so many of their actions. Wit...

We all do things to the people we care about the most that we wished we hadn't. Often times we avoid looking back because the past is riddled with blame, shame, regret, and condemnation. But what if a return to our history, with the right perspective, could repair the life right in front of us? In part two of this five part series, Pietze and Jonny dive into the messiness that ensued after getting...

Getting married and starting a new life together can be brutal for anyone. Navigating how to surrender your life to a partnership of give and take is difficult as it is. But, for an ever growing select few that choose to get married very young, the hurdles could be insurmountable. In this episode Pietze, Abi's best friend, and her husband Jonny join the podcast for this five part series. They shin...

The institution of the church has a history of feeling unsafe and judgmental for many people. Like any system, it has humanity's thumbprint of messiness all over it. But sometimes the systems that hurt us, have a gift within to heal us. In this episode, Pietze joins Abi and Justin once again to discuss her return to the institution of the church. They process how Pietze found resolution and examin...

There comes a time for all of us when everything we know is challenged. Our world is shaken and the foundation that we've stood on for a lifetime begins to crumble below us. In this episode, Pietze joins the crew once again to dive deeper into her story. She opens up about her life shattering season that redefined her relationship with God. Together they investigate the ways she explored her conne...

Religion has a way of stripping individuals of their humanity and demanding perfection through performance. This behavior is detrimental to everyone involved. In this episode Abi's lifelong friend, Pietze, joins Abi and Justin. Pietze shares about her upbringing as a Pastor's kid and the painful affects institutionalized religion had on her family. Together they take a gracious look at the driving...

Being single is great when you want in to be that way, but when you're looking for a long term commitment, it can start feeling difficult real quick. Though there can be many reasons for long term singleness, not all of it has to be inexplicable. In this episode, Abi and Justin shine a light on some of the mysteries surrounding undesired singleness. Through reflecting on years of investigative wor...

Fear can be debilitating for anyone, but it's nothing more than the barrier between us and the destiny of who we were created to be. Having it is not the problem but being unwilling to face it is. Unaddressed fears have a way of squelching our creativity and ultimate our vision. But it doesn't have to be that way. In part two of this two-part episode, Justin is joined by business partners and brot...

It's easy for any of us to go through some of life's biggest storms and to feel like it's the beginning of the end, or that there's no way we'll ever recover. However, every great story of adventure has seemingly insurmountable odds set before the sojourner. To the one who refuses to give up, a chest filled with unforeseen treasure awaits. In this episode Justin sits down with long time clients Da...

Developing camaraderie amongst men can be as simple as creating a common goal that requires a collective group to band together in order to achieve it. Be it building a house, playing sports, going to war, or taking down the Death Star, a goal is often all that's needed. But building intimate connection is a much grandeur task. In this episode Justin and his close friend Marcus open up about their...

Whether we understand it or not, family plays a vital role in experiencing a life of stability and confidence. For many of us, our family of origin can be messy, painful, and sometimes evoke instability. The beauty of life is that family isn't limited to blood relatives. Through graciously unique circumstances we can experience the love and connection we were all designed for. In this episode Just...

It can be easy to find ourselves consumed with regret and paralyzed with pain when we contemplate the dreams and desires that never panned out the way we dreamed they would. Without proper acceptance, we can't properly grieve and move forward. In this second part of a two part episode, Abi further discusses her grief process that gone on as she has accepted she will never birth her own children. S...

Most of us have an idea of what we think our life should look like. Our education, job, friends, family, and marriage are just a few aspects that we think have to turn out a certain way. But then they don't, and reality sinks in leaving us to grieve what wasn't or didn't happen. In this episode Abi bares it all in her most vulnerable time of sharing on the podcast as she talks candidly with Justin...

Many people believe that "success" just happens to a select lucky few, or for those that simply keep their head down and work hard. But what if success has ingredients like a cocktail that anyone can make? In this episode, Abi and Justin define their version of success and investigate some of the key ingredients that are fundamental to seeing the dreams of a person's heart become reality. They hig...

In part two of this two part episode, Abi and Justin sit down again with friend and fellow Life Consultant Laura Duncan. Together they take a deep dive into the pain and shame that is the foundation for sexual addiction. Through compassion they shine a light on the subject and reveal how, in our common humanity, we all find ourselves coping in destructive ways, making us all the same. Through Laur...

In a world culture that has instant access to pornographic material it's realistic that so many people, both men and women, would use, or have addictions to this type of content. For those that are aware of the destructive nature of this content, there's a longing to find freedom from it, but often little understanding as to why they engage it in the first place. In this episode Justin and Abi are...

Are you a turtle or a hailstorm? The way we attach to one another is critical to understanding our behavior and connection in relationship. Through our childhood experiences we learn how to connect and this style of connection affects how we express ourselves in relationships as adults. In this episode Abi, Justin, and their close friend Ruth begin the conversation about attachment styles. Underst...

House renovations can be daunting. They come with blood, sweat, and tears you didn't know you had the capacity to shed. They're expensive and time consuming, and, for anyone doing it for the first time, there's a learning curve and a lot of unknowns. But in the end, it's worth it. In this episode Justin and Abi discuss the parallels between renovating a home and renovating your heart. They break d...

The pathway to healing and freedom isn't easy, and it certainly doesn't happen alone. When our process is walked out openly and vulnerably, within community, our bravery has the power to inspire contagious courage   in others, while liberating them at the same time. In this episode Abi and Justin share a dramatically powerful healing moment that takes place publicly in the life of former guest Rya...

Being honest with our family can sometimes feel more scary than any other people in our lives. The people that we care about the deepest are the ones we feel most terrified of being rejected by. But facing the fears we have with our family can be the catalyst to a life fully lived. In this episode Abi and Justin sit down with their dear friend Courtney and her mom Katie. Together they share about...

People oftentimes wonder what the quick fix is to experiencing change in their lives. Although there is no magic pill, there is a fundamental component to the transformation process that gives people a guaranteed boost of momentum, and strength, that is rarely discussed. In this episode, Abi and Justin sit down with their mutual close friend Ruth Outram. Together they discuss her scientific and pr...