The Connected Life

What if a vulnerable conversation could be enough to foster the comfort needed to relieve panic and anxiety? Many of us have history's littered with painful and traumatic moments that impact our everyday lives. On difficult days, sometimes a loving presence and caring questions are just enough to free us from our funk, while bringing repair to parts of our past. In this episode Justin sits down wi...

In 2011 Brene Brown launched a cultural shifting TED Talk called The Power of Vulnerability. Now, with over 20 million views, her clinical research has validated what an entire emotional health industry had been spending years trying to help the world understand, that vulnerability is a vital key to connection and happiness. The question is, if it's so vital, how do we practically express vulnerab...

We've all had times where we followed our intuition and it didn't work out the way we hoped it would. For many of us these kinds of disappointments can lead to not trusting ourselves. This breakdown in trust can feel like a safer route, but more often than not the consequences of not following our intuition can be a mundane life filled with regrets. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this epis...

At a young age many of us find ourselves losing our innocence through situations that leave us feeling unsafe. In order to protect ourselves, slowly over time, we unconsciously fortify our hearts. In the process we disconnect from a source of joy and wonder that is at the epicenter of creativity and life, in hopes of avoiding pain. In doing so we find ourselves living a mediocre existence. But wha...

Disconnections in relationships are normal and to be expected. Yet, for many of us, the disconnections we often saw modeled to us growing up didn't end well. For so many, the experiences we've been exposed to are filled with unresolved pain that ends in further distance or no acknowledgement of the real problems at all. Because of this, being present in other people's conflict can be anxiety induc...

Our time on earth is limited and facing the reality of our mortality can feel scary or morbid. We can easily place our deaths in the back of our minds where we imagine them far off in some distant future and forget how precious each moment truly is. In the end of another person's life it's realistic to reflect not only on how they spent it, but also how we're spending the incredible gift we've bee...

We've all found ourselves feeling an ache and an anger when we see and hear stories of injustice and violation perpetuated by people in authority, especially when we admire them. There are countless stories of abuse of power throughout all of our human institutions. This messiness can leave us feeling disillusioned and cause us to live reactive. But, what if we could foster a responsive lifestyle...

We all have histories laced with difficulties that leave an impact on us. Often times the people that play a role in perpetuating pain are the ones that matter most to us. In our formative years these experiences have a tendency to leave an imprint that lasts a lifetime. It's reasonable to want to pass judgment on those people and events, while swearing to never be or do them, but in doing so we o...

Often times we find ourselves in unnecessary conflict all because of miscommunications. This can leave us feeling misunderstood, judged, and defeated. As humans we all have the ability to talk, but rarely are we trained in how to successfully communicate. It's easy to feel like we're the only ones having a tough time. But we're not alone, and honing one simple technique can easily leave us feeling...

Experiencing connection or conflict in most relationships usually comes down to one foundational issue, communication. Communication is at the epicenter of all human relationships, making it one of the most vital topics necessary to understand if we hope to be successful in our exchanges with one another. Unfortunately, most of us rarely consider the ways our communication style is affecting us ge...

It's easy for many of us to find ourselves surviving seasons of life. As we pass through difficulties we can often find ourselves looking toward what the future brings without taking time to examine what was. But what if a healthy reflection of what we've been through is vital to framing the way we approach our future? In this episode Justin and Abi review their last season of life. They discuss h...

For many of us it's easy to live life from one day to the next getting bogged down by the demands and drama that we believe require our attention. We can get lost in goals and achievements, while finding ourselves missing out on vital moments that are designed to impact us and the world around us. But what happens when we take time to slow down and reflect on the love that we've received and given...

When we look at the difficulties in our lives, and see the suffering in the world, it's easy to feel like we've been abandoned and left all alone to survive. But what if in the midst of all the messiness there's a God that's always with us and deeply cares about us? In this episode Abi and Justin discuss the ways a good and radically loving God found His way into our humanity, starting by tangibly...

For most of us the idea of failure is filled with a sense of dread. It's often associated with shame, punishment, and disconnection. It often feels like is says something negative about who we are. But what if failure wasn't an abusive bully, but rather a friendly mentor rooting for us to succeed? In this episode Abi and Justin are joined by their good friend and owner of The Adventure Challenge,...

Every family system comes with its own mess. Every sibling finds themselves playing a role whether it's assigned to them or they unconsciously take it on. Through these roles pain is perpetuated. In an environment where we should feel most known, we can feel the least seen. But what if our our siblings could be catalytic to feeling loved and understood? In this episode Justin takes a fascinating b...

We all have certain expectations of what our lives should look like both in the long term and the day to day. These expectations can often get us stuck in ways of living that leave us having an experience that can feel boring and mediocre. Change can be scary and disappointment can feel overwhelmingly painful, but can the unexpected actually be an invitation to pivot into an abundant life that get...

When it comes to success and self-help books, gratitude is often identified as a foundational key to the achievements and wellbeing of any individual. It's often suggested that gratitude plays a crucial role in the experience of happiness and joy a person has. But what if having gratitude   transcends just having a good life and is vital to an eternal experience? In this Thanksgiving episode Justi...

Creating a life of wholeness isn't for the faint of heart. Choosing to foster change and development can feel like a lonely road. The process is difficult and the end result is never perfection. No matter how much we grow, messiness is always part of our human experience. But the beauty of the journey is that we don't have to do it alone! In this Episode Abi and Justin chat with two friends that f...

We've all had friendships where we've hurt others and they've hurt us. This is an inescapable part of humanity. When our messiness collides friendships can break us in a way that causes us to want to shut down and shut off towards connection. But what if there was love in friendships that could make us and restore the places that seemed permanently broken? In this episode Abi and Justin sit down w...

There are seasons in all of our lives where we feel so broken that we're willing to do almost anything to stop the pain. For many of us, being willing to allow love to have an impact on us is often the last thing we want to do. The exposure we feel when we begin to trust others with our stories, and our hearts, can feel so terrifying that it seems nearly impossible to say yes to. But what happens...

In a culture of achievement, productivity, and purpose, it's possible to create a world where we've achieved our dreams, yet still feel like we're missing out on life. The internal drive we have towards an end goal can be filled with chaos, while peace is nothing more than an idea far in the distance. But what if we could experience a successful life built on rest and connection? In this episode A...

For many of us, when considering letting people into our lives, they're either all in or all out. Progressively letting people into our hearts is rare and when we do gradually let them in, we rarely have clarity on the terms governing the relationship. Because of this we can often feel anxious or easily betrayed, but what if the connections we build could be created around more deliberate conditio...

Many of us believe that creating a successful life is centered around outward goals and actions. Though this can yield favorable results, the end product can often feel empty and pointless. But what if deliberately posturing our heart in ways that ignite connection, creativity, and hope were just as vital to actually experiencing a sense of fulfillment? In part two of this two part series Justin a...

Success is often defined in the broader culture by enormous amounts of wealth, power, and notoriety. While this idea of success can feel tempting, it isn't necessarily fulfilling to most people. At the heart of success is a sense of fulfillment unique to every individual's life. And although it's a unique experience, there are components that universally play a part in every person's creation of i...

In part two of this two part series Justin and Abi's close friend, fellow Life Consultant, and clinical psychologist Ruth Outram joins the conversation once again. In this episode Ruth takes us deeper into the impact of her belief system on her financial wellbeing. She shares about her battle with shame and the intolerable emotions she fought to avoid like anxiety and worry. She also discusses her...