The Connected Life

Connection isn't something that just happens by proximity. Over time connection is something this is deliberately fostered through experiences and conversations that create a deeper knowing of one another. Often times the process of building connection can feel difficult and even mysterious. The truth is, connection can be rather easy when we have some sort of map.   In this episode Justin and Abi...

The journey of aging extends an invitation to learn and grow from our victories, losses, sufferings, and celebrations. Not everyone surrenders to the process, but to those who stop resisting, gold nuggets collected from each season of life become a store house of riches ready to help you create a life fully lived.   In this monumental episode Abi sits down with Justin as he crosses the major age b...

Courage has many expressions, but rarely is the act of vulnerably sharing our story branded as one of them. For many men, our story is held tightly to our chest, guarded by outward acts of accomplishment and performance. The thought of exposing our truth is so terrifying that it's considered weak to do so. Mustering the courage to get honest is seemingly so impossible that we need to borrow courag...

For some couples, the early stages of marriage can be filled with wild romps in bed and mind blowing orgasms. For others, it's a Sunday morning church service, not too exciting, predictable, but gets you where you need to go, and for others, the plane never even gets off the runway. Regardless of what camp you're in, for anyone that's been in a long-term relationship we all know that life can hit...

Relationships have a way of bringing out the best and the worst of our humanity. Giving ourselves to others in these relationships can be scary. Behind some of the most difficult messes we make, with the people we care about the most, are wounds that have evolved out of the way that we learned how to attach as children. These wounds can create cycles of disconnection that loop repeatedly throughou...

Being able to connect to our emotions is vital to the healing process, but what if not all disconnection is bad? In fact, what if balanced disconnection is actually part of a healthy lifestyle? In this episode Abi and Justin investigate the power of healthily dissociating from the intensity life can often create. They look at many different options to disconnect without perpetuating destruction. T...

Not every person has an official position as a leader, but every person is an influencer. Whether we like to admit it or not, we are influencing one another every day through our emotions and actions. The results can often be creative or destructive, depending on the vision we have for who we want to be. In this episode Justin and Abi explore the ways we influence the world around us through our p...

Romantic relationships are rooted in attraction. For many couples it's easy to find themselves slipping in and out of attraction for each other. It's easy to feel scared of connection if we believe attraction is just an emotion you have or don't have, but what if it's much more than that. In this episode Justin and Abi shatter some of the mystery that shrouds romantic attraction. They break down r...

Tragedy, trauma, and loss can leave us feeling like we're living a life of deficit. It's easy to feel broken beyond repair and living a "normal" existence feels like nothing more than a dream for another lifetime. But what if it was possible to redeem what was lost while creating a thriving lifestyle that replicates your success? In this episode Justin is joined by his friend and fellow Life Consu...

Disconnection can be rough, especially in relationships with years of history. For a lot of people it seems easier to sweep all the messiness under a rug. Eventually, however, the rug isn't big enough to hide the things we would rather ignore. When it comes time to get honest with ourselves, and the ones we love, it can feel impossible to clean up years of denying the reality of our circumstances....

Life can have a way of of bogging us down and leaving us feeling like the best of who we are is buried in the past. Through the messiness we experience, pain and loss have a way of causing us to forget the innocence, joy, and limitless perspective we once held in our youth. But what if there was a map that could not only restore us to our most authentic self, but it could show us a way to becoming...

Conflict in relationships can be really messy. Sometimes it can be so difficult that circumstances leave the relationship beyond repair. But, what if conflict was an invitation to heal your past as much as the present? In this episode Abi sits down with her life-long best friend Pietze. Together they openly discuss a recent conflict they   had that could've escalated to epic proportions without th...

One of the most common messages a man can inadvertently take from their father is the belief that we're only valuable when we perform well. Through even the best intentions this lopsided message can leave a child confused about love even into adulthood. Confronting our pain with a father can feel crippling and paralyzing. But what if the mere acknowledgement of a problem could catapult a willing p...

Confrontation with people we deeply care about can feel high stakes to say the least. In our anxiety it's easy to unintentionally communicate in ways that suck the sense of love right out the room. But what if the love we have for others can be felt and leave a lasting impact in the midst of incredibly honest conversations? In part two of this mini series Abi and Pietze continue the conversation w...

Whether we like to admit it or not, family matters to all of us and being honest with them can be difficult to say the least. Working through relational problems with our family can sometimes feel impossible. But, what if there are hopeful strategies that can deeply impact how we repair connection with each other? In part one of this two part episode, Abi and her long time best friend, Pietze, sit...

Masculinity sometimes has a way of getting a bum wrap for not caring or not being emotionally connected. For many men survival has been in learning how to shut up, keep your head down, and moving forward. More often than not, intimate relationships such as marriage, friendship, and being a father, have a way of exposing undeveloped emotional tools and lack of self-awareness. But does it really mea...

Overcoming the loss of anything that matters to us can be incredibly difficult, especially when we've experienced loss before. Separating the past from the present can seem almost impossible when navigating our grief. But what if there is a path to clarity that can resolve the past and bring compassion to the present? In this episode Abi and her best friend Pietze sit down with special guest Shann...

We've all had times where we've had to interact with people we don't like. These experiences can feel uncomfortable and frustrating, but often short lived. But what happens when we can't escape the person we don't like because they're a family member, part of a friendship group, or they're employed at the same place we work? In this episode Abi and Justin share their own stories about dealing with...

Most parents are trying their best to raise their kids. Since there's no official handbook on parenting, each parent can find themselves overwhelmed and feeling like a failure from time to time. No parent is perfect, but what if there were some fundamental tips that could change the game altogether? In this episode Abi sits down with Speech Pathologist Kelsey Brown to talk about Positive Parenting...

Freely serving other people can be incredibly gratifying. For many of us service can have a history of pain because we've lost ourselves in others. Then there are some of us that are so absorbed in our own lives, that the thought of freely giving ourselves away to others has rarely if ever crossed our minds. But what if it was possible to live a balanced life full of intentional impact? In this ep...

The hope for finding love is something most of us can relate to. The desire to love and be loved is woven into our humanity. For many of us, dreaming of a fulfilling future can be scary, especially when we've had so many disappointments. But is there hope for goodness when the worst case scenario seemingly destroys the promises we've been believing for? In this episode Abi and her best friend Piet...

For many people it's easy to go with the flow of life. It's much more difficult to show up and share what you feel or go against the grain and do what you want. But what if there's an invitation around every corner to shake things up and change the way you've been living? In this episode Justin sits down with his executive assistant Nicole to discuss her process of coming out of hiding and finding...

Every where we look, the world is filled with people in need. It's easy to see the enormity of this need and to get overwhelmed. Some times it feels easier to turn a blind eye than to try and figure out how to tackle the problems of this world. But what if we didn't need to help everyone? What if we only needed to intimately and deliberately invest in one or two people? In December of 2021 The Con...

Loving others can be difficult, especially the ones that can't help but make a mess so bad they hurt everyone in their path. Getting past the anguish they inflict can sometimes feel impossible. But what if behind all the years of chaos and destruction was an innocent child desperate for kindness, compassion, and care? In December of 2021 The Connected Life hosted a giveaway of $1,000 to someone wh...

An affair is one of the most sensitive and painful subjects in a committed relationship. The effects of an affair spill over onto children, extended family, and friends. With so much pain connected to the issue, it's no wonder that very few relationships rebound after such broken trust. But, what if there's hope in the midst of a mess that hasn't been fully resolved? In this episode, Justin and Ab...