The Poet (delayed)

What is light? Not metaphorically. Not poetically. Actually. In this conversation with Suzanne Bates, we explore light as biology, energy, communication, healing, emotion, rhythm, consciousness, and connection. We talk about why morning sunlight changes the body, how the heart emits measurable energy, why coherence matters, how suffering shapes us, and why healing may begin with learning not to ab...

In the fire’s heat The log is transformed but does Not become the fire What if the goal isn’t to destroy the fire within us, but to learn how to live with it? This episode explores passion, shame, anger, desire, transformation, and the difference between purification and integration. Not becoming less. Not cutting parts of ourselves away. But learning how to carry what burns inside us without lett...

The Poet (delayed) Ep. 79: Put on Your Coat Available: May 5, 2026 The cold, dark morning Whispers: cancel all your plans He puts on his coat There are moments when life goes dim. Not because everything is ruined, but because weariness, grief, fear, or overwhelm can make the path disappear. This episode is about what to do in those moments. How darkness can hide what still exists. How discourageme...

There is a quote attributed to Nietzsche that reads: When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago. I’ve found that to be true. When we’re exhausted physically, emotionally, or psychologically, old fears return, clarity fades, and problems that are solvable can feel impossible. We forget who we are. We forget what we’ve survived. We forget that help exists. In this episode, I r...

Why Things Fall Apart he tried and so did she but neither understood the other and that is how things fall apart despite the trying In this episode of The Poet (delayed) , I reflect on why some relationships that feel meaningful, beautiful, and deeply connected still fail to hold over time. Using the metaphor of a beautiful building with a weak internal frame, I explore the difference between appe...

A Tree, a Star or a River: When Giving Becomes Loss What does it really mean to give? In this episode, I explore a question that has been quietly shaping my life: Where does our giving come from? Because not all giving is the same—and some forms of it come at a cost we don’t see until it’s too late. Drawing from my own writing—including On Becoming a Black Hole and On Being a River—I walk through...

In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I am joined by returning guest Josh Baron for a wide-ranging conversation on uncertainty, growth, and what it means to truly live inside the unknown. Drawing from the Tao Te Ching’s line—“darkness within darkness, the gateway to all understanding”—we explore a central idea: uncertainty isn’t something to escape, but something to enter. Together, we examine wh...

This is Part 2 of my series We Die of Being Alive . In Part 1, I explored a difficult truth: we don’t die because something goes wrong—we die because we are alive. Life includes uncertainty, loss, and things we cannot control. But that leaves a deeper question: How do we actually live inside that reality? In this episode, I explore what happens when fear takes over—when we panic, freeze, or react...

Most of us carry a quiet belief: if life feels hard, something must be wrong. In this episode, I challenge that idea. Drawing on a line from Michel de Montaigne—“You do not die of being sick, you die of being alive”—I explore what it really means to be alive, and why pain, loss, uncertainty, and struggle are not signs of failure, but expressions of life itself. But understanding that intellectuall...

Healing alchemy: That load you struggle under— Is it lead or gold? It’s an invitation to look at the weight we carry with different eyes—to see our struggles not as proof that we’re failing, but as the raw material for something deeper, stronger, and more meaningful. I brought in a line from Epictetus that has been sitting with me lately, and we explore what it means to transform our suffering ins...

Nature's beauty is The result of letting go Life's beauty is too We hold on so tightly sometimes—trying to shape outcomes, control people, or force clarity when life just isn’t ready to give it. But nature reminds us: the leaf releases when its season is done. In this week’s episode of The Poet (delayed), I talk with my friend Sarah Daniels about the quiet strength of letting go—about learning to...

In this special episode, recorded live at "Torchlight" last April, I reflect on the defining losses, trials, and awakenings of my life through the lens of poetry and personal story. Drawing on Nietzsche’s insight that “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering,” I explore how our deepest wounds can become bridges—not barriers—to human connection. This is an honest medita...

When Vesuvius Rumbled in her deep, Pompeii’s Blue skies were a lie. Sometimes our gut warns us to leave, but we stay. Other times, it calls us to act, but fear keeps us frozen. And in both moments, the mind often steps in—trying to quiet what the body already knows. This week on The Poet (delayed), we explore what happens when we ignore that deep inner rumble. Why we override our intuition. Why we...

God speaks to each of us as he makes us, then walks with us silently out of the night. These are the words we dimly hear: You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me. Flare up like a flame and make big shadows I can move in. Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don’t let yourself lose me. Nearby is the country they...

Join me and Sherrie Love as we read her poem, Descension and then have a conversation about the slow, brave work of reclaiming ourselves—of getting to know who we are again after life has scattered the pieces. We talk about the struggle, the beauty, and the quiet joy of becoming whole. And we draw wisdom from the sun—how it simply shines, without apology, without hesitation, no matter who is benea...

Some conversations only happen on the road—miles slipping by, the hum of tires, and the kind of quiet that invites reflection. In this episode, I drove with my friend Jason Wheatley to Sun Valley, Idaho, where he was delivering paintings for an upcoming art show. As we drove, we talked about his journey into art, the impulse to create, and the ways beauty can emerge from both solitude and connecti...

In this conversation, I talk with my friend Christian Jones—a local musician and songwriter who’ll be performing at Torchlight on June 21. We explore the tension between daily responsibilities and the need to stay connected to our creativity. Christian opens up about how songwriting and playing guitar have helped him navigate life, stay emotionally grounded, and build meaningful connections with o...

In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I sit down with my friend Chris Hales to unpack a journey that pushed him to the edge—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Chris took on the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim, a grueling 50+ mile hike through one of the most unforgiving landscapes on earth. He spent months preparing, training his body and mind for the challenge ahead. But even with all the pla...

In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I sit down with my friend Josh Barron to talk about The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. We just begin to unpack this powerful and thought-provoking book, discussing its clear Christian themes while also exploring how its core ideas—about selfishness, humility, perspective, and human connection—transcend religious boundaries. Whether you’re deeply spiritual, loos...

In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I read my allegory “The Raft,” which explores what it means to face fear and step beyond the limitations that keep us small. It is about becoming whole again—learning to sit with our younger selves, heal old wounds, and expand into who we truly are. This one’s about transformation, courage, and the quiet power of growth. I'd love to hear what you have to say...

In Episode 61 of The Poet (delayed), I sit down with my friend Howard Burkholz for a fun and thoughtful chat all about travel. Howard shares what he loves about hitting the road — from local getaways to international adventures — and how those experiences have brought him joy, taught him new perspectives, and helped shape the way he sees the world. We also talk about how photography has been a hug...

In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with Ali Talbot to explore the healing power of creativity and the importance of sharing our creative work with others. We talk about how the art we make to heal ourselves can also resonate with and support those around us—reminding us that creation is not only personal but deeply communal. We also introduce Torchlight, a new monthly program we’ve launched to...

In this episode, I’m joined again by my friend Tim Robison as we read and reflect on the poem “To Satch” by Samuel Washington Allen. What follows is an honest, free-flowing conversation about living with intention, making your own decisions, and figuring out what really matters. We touch on work-life balance, the search for joy, and doing the things you love — even when it’s hard. We also wrestle...

This episode of The Poet (delayed) is raw, real, and completely impromptu. No scripts, no pretense—just an honest conversation with four 20/21 years olds (Ian Edgar, Ryan Murphy, Conner Evans and Max Jones) and me about what makes us human. We all carry wounds, scars, and shadows, and instead of hiding them, what if we embraced them? What if our imperfections and life experiences are actually what...

On this episode of The Poet (delayed), I sit down with my friend Jen Adams, a children’s book author, to talk about her newest project—a board book adaptation of The Great Gatsby, coming out on March 11th. We discuss the classic novel itself, how our understanding of literature shifts over time, and the powerful role books play in shaping our lives. It’s a conversation about storytelling, nostalgi...